Storylines

Kimberley legend Sam Lovell’s collection of evocative photographs of life up North are a jewel of the Storylines archive.

We’re proud to be hosting a screening of The Tale of Mr Kimberley, a short documentary detailing Sam’s trailblazing life including his pioneering tourism work, on Thursday September 7 in the State Library Theatre.

The screening will be followed by a panel conversation with filmmaker Jake Blackburn and author Steve Hawke.

If you are unable to attend in person, a live stream will begin at 6:30pm

Click here: https://vimeo.com/event/3686932/14a005134d

You can also watch the film on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHEzeoTNX78

The Tale of Mr Kimberley The short documentary delves into the life of the 90 year old Kimberley legend, Sammy Lovell. A lot is spoken about this man, but for the first time he tells...

Last week, Ngaragu woman Ashleigh Barty became the second Indigenous Australian woman to win Wimbledon after Evonne Goolagong Cawley’s wins in 1971 and 1980.

Ash’s win is significant for First Nations Australians participation in sport, as Indigenous people continue to be marginalised in so many areas of Australian life. Her success is all the more powerful and a testament to her strength and talent.

With this in mind, Storylines brings you a selection of images from the Schenk Family Collection BA1340 of Aboriginal people from Mt Margaret Mission playing tennis.

Mount Margaret Mission, 20 kms south west of Laverton, was established by Rodolphe Schenk and the United Aborigines Mission in 1921.
Compared to places such as Moore River Mission, which had a cruel reputation, Mount Margaret was seen to allow Aboriginal people the ability to learn and work through trades and art and crafts. Parents were also encouraged to settle with their children at the mission.

These images were taken in 1930s by Rod Schenk. They reveal an obvious affection between the people photographed and a love of the game.

Mount Margaret is the western name for the hill named Kalgara.

This weekend Storylines is getting ready for NAIDOC.

NAIDOC Week is an occasion for all Australians to come together to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people – the oldest continuing cultures on the planet.

NAIDOC stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee and its origins can be traced to the emergence of Aboriginal groups seeking to increase awareness of the status and treatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians in the 1920s.

The theme of NAIDOC 2021 is Heal Country! Which calls on all of us to continue to seek greater protections for our lands, our waters, our sacred sites and our cultural heritage from exploitation, desecration, and destruction.

The State Library in partnership with the Perth Theatre Trust have created a Heal Country and Little Bird Day trail, that will be installed from the Roe Street Bridge through to the State Library.

This trail aims to create community awareness of the different country across Western Australia. The photographs will be positioned in large round decals at various locations throughout the centre. Each decal features a QR code which links back to the library’s online catalogue and displays the traditional name of the country.

You can also follow the little bird as she flies through the Perth Cultural Centre to the exhibition at the State Library. The little bird original artwork is by Johnny Warkatja Malibirr from the award winning picture book Little Bird’s Day – written by Sally Morgan. Published by Magabala books. The exhibition is curated especially for children and families and, includes an opportunity to read the story together. Discover more about her at the library’s Story Place Gallery.

Heal Country, heal our nation.

The State Library of Western Australia via Storylines celebrates 30 years of the Koori Mail.

100% Indigenous owned and written, the Koori Mail has been reporting on the issues that matter to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples since May 1991.

From humble beginnings of just 24 pages, all black and white (except for the iconic masthead) the newspaper today averages close to 100 pages and is bounding in colour. Produced fortnightly, for a readership of over 100,000 nationally, if it involves Indigenous Australians, you will find it in the pages of the Koori Mail.

The Koori Mail is not just a successful publication, which champions the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. It’s also a massive success story, the newspaper is jointly owned by five small Aboriginal organisations in Bundjalung country- Bunjum on Cabbage Tree Island, Buyinbin in Casino, Kurrachee in Coraki, Bundjalung Tribal Society in Lismore, and Nungera in Mclean. All the proceeds made in profit go directly back to Indigenous Australians in the form of sponsorships, scholarships, and dividends back to Indigenous owners.

The Koori Mail digitised collection is the only complete online archive for the Koori Mail; it was launched by the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) and the Koori Mail in partnership with the Department of Industry and Science, CAVAL and the State Library of New South Wales.

If you would like to view the full digitised collection please follow the link, https://aiatsis.gov.au/collection/featured-collections/koori-mail

Visitors should be aware that the Koori Mail Digital Collection may contain images and other references to deceased people which may cause sadness or distress, particularly to the relatives of the deceased.