Edith Wright grew up listening to stories about her great-grandfathers, Harry Hunter and Adrien D Antoine, two white men from Europe came to rule the pearling industry at its peak in northwest Australia. Between then, they changed the social and cultural fabric of the Kimberley region for generations to come, fathering many mixed-race children and gaining reputations for violent and exploitative behaviour towards Bardi Jawi people. These two men and their Aboriginal children lived complicated, difficult lives during an era of intense surveillance and social control of Aboriginal people in Western Australia.

The Blessing and the Burden gives a rare insight into the cosmopolitan hub of Broome during the heyday of the pearling and boat-building industries. Using eyewitness accounts and archival records, it describes the bombing of Broome in World War II, the impact of leprosy and the Bungarun leprosarium in Derby, and the rapid development of the infrastructure of the north from the perspective of a descendant of a complex legacy. Edith confronts the painful and challenging histories of her family and of two white men who changed the face of the Kimberley forever.

Details

ISBN13: 9781922864741
Format: Paperback / softback
Number of Pages: 224
Edition:
Publication Date: 01 Sep 2026
Publisher: Magabala Books
Publication City, Country: Broome, WA, Australia
Dimensions (cm):
Weight (gm):

Author Biography

Edith Wright is of Bardi Jawi descent. She is a teacher with over thirty years experience, retired since 2018 from a diverse career in education which included classroom teacher, Principal at Wangkatjungka Remote Community School and District Aboriginal Education Manager. In 2000 her first book Full Circle, a focus on her family history, was published by Fremantle Arts Centre Press WA. In 2022 her first children's book Charlie s Swim was published by Magabala Books in time to commemorate the 80 year anniversary of the Japanese attack on Broome WA. Her focus has shifted from literacy to literature. As a Director on the board of Magabala Books she is well placed to ensure First Nation s children see their culture reflected in children's literature. She is hopeful the growing numbers of First Nations authors, illustrators and storytellers engaged in truth telling through their books will be a game changer for readers.

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