Sally Jane Morgan (nee Milroy, 28 January 1951 - ?) Writer & Artist
Introduction Sally Morgan is an Indigenous Australian author and illustrator. She has published books for both adults and children, including her acclaimed autobiography, My Place. As a child, Sally Morgan found school difficult. Questions were asked about her appearance and family background. She understood from her mother that her family were from India. When Sally was fifteen she learnt that she was in fact of Aboriginal descent, from the Palku and Nyamal peoples of the Pilbara. Her family was part of the Stolen Generation and she grew up in Perth, unaware of her Aboriginal heritage. This experience of hidden origins and her subsequent quest for identity were the inspiration for her 1987 autobiography, My Place. It tells the story of Sally's self discovery through reconnection with her Aboriginal culture and community. My Place was an immediate success and has since sold over half a million copies in Australia.
While researching her family history for this book,
Morgan's childhood interest in art was rekindled. In 1986, Sally Morgan held
her first exhibition at the Birukmarri Gallery in Fremantle. Her books for children include picture books, junior fiction and middle fiction titles including The Amazing A to Z Thing, Feast for Wombat, Sister Heart and the Charlie Burr series. She has recently released two picture books Dream Little One, Dream (Penguin) and I Love Me (Fremantle Press), both illustrated by Ambelin Kwaymullina [her daughter].
Sally Morgan was born on the 28th of January, 1951 in Perth, Western Australia. Sally Morgan's parents were William Joseph (a plumber) and Gladys Milroy. According to various sources, it is known that her father died after a long-term battle with post-traumatic stress disorder so she was raised by her mother and grandmother. She is eldest of her five siblings. She grew up in a household with little money, her family often struggled making ends meet. Sally lived with her mother Daisy and grandmother Gladys who had a significant impact on Sally’s life. "Most of my positive influences have come from my mum and my grandma...some of the things they taught me was to respect the environment and to respect wild creatures." Having been told that they were of Indian background, she discovered in her teens that the family had "part"-Aboriginal ancestry from her mother's and grandmother's side. This discovery motivated her later research into her family's history and culminated in the writing of her autobiographical work, My Place, which integrates the life stories of her mother (Gladys Milroy), her grandmother (Daisy Corunna), and her grandmother's brother (Arthur Corunna). She married Paul Morgan (a teacher) in 1972 and they had three children: Ambelin Kwaymullina, Blaze Kwaymullina and Ezekiel Kwaymullina, with whom she has co-written a number of works.
Education Since she was very young, she knew she wanted to become an author. Sally had a difficult schooling experience, she had a knack for getting herself into trouble. She was also often teased for her completion as it was darker than her peers. At this time Sally was unaware of her Indigenous heritage. Sally learnt the truth about her heritage at the age of fifteen. This was a difficult concept to grapple at this age. "I wanted to know the truth and I needed that information to understand myself and the way our family interacted with each other because other people had always said you're different or what country did you come from and we just didn't fit into the community and I wanted to know why we didn't fit."
Sally’s mother and grandmother
had disguised Sally’s Aboriginality throughout her life, telling her she was
Indian, due to fear. "Aboriginal people had had such a terrible time
...like my grandma and my mum were very frightened that when dad died that
us five kids would be taken away and that was based in reality because my
grandma had been taken away and then my mum had been taken away and they
just couldn't handle the idea that a third generation of our family would be
torn apart." This aspect of Sally’s life played a significant role in
the choices she made later in life. Sally used her strengths in English and the Arts to strengthen, not only her understanding of Indigenous culture, but the nations; this became a passion of Sally’s. "What I really believe in, especially for kids these days is, follow your dreams, even if other people think that your dream is silly or they think that you haven't got the ability to achieve it, just don't listen to the negative stuff, you know you've got to follow your dreams because if you have enough determination you will get there, you will get there eventually - just don't let other people put you off." In 1974, she completed her BA at the University of Western Australia, majoring in psychology, and continued with postgraduate diplomas in Counselling Psychology, Computing and Library Studies at the Western Australian Institute of Technology.
Career
Morgan wrote a play Sistergirl that was first performed at the Festival of Perth 1993. Sistergirl is the story of two elderly Aboriginal sisters, one of whom had a child taken from her and who is now dying in hospital, an institution which frightens the life out of Aboriginal people in general and old ones in particular. "I am very interested in older Aboriginal women. A lot of them have had very different life experiences," she says. "It sounds depressing, but it is actually very funny and also deals with old women's attitudes to men. There's a lot of rude jokes." Morgan has also gained a considerable international reputation as an artist, and has written and illustrated children's books. The Art of Sally Morgan was published in 1996. In 1997, she was appointed Director of the University of Western Australia Centre for Indigenous Art and History. She has also held the positions of Chair of Aboriginal Literature Committee and membership of the Literature Board of Australia Council. Morgan worked at the School of Indigenous Studies (University of Western Australia) in the area of oral history. In a 2004 interview, she said that she sees writing as a vehicle to give people a voice, for people to be heard, a vehicle that can tell our family stories and give a deeper balance and insight into the past as well as the present. "I have been helping people to tell their stories. The last eight years I have been working with other Indigenous people and have been doing editorial work for oral history projects, which have been published as community resources." (Source: Interview with Blanch Lake, Aboriginal Information and Liaison Officer, Arts Law) She continues to write and illustrate children's books, for which she has won or been shortlisted for a wide range of awards.
Awards Sally has received multiple awards for her amazing work. Her first book, My Place got Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission humanitarian award in 1987. She was the winner of the Order of Australia Book Prize and Fremantle Print Award along with Bevan Honey. Morgan has won numerous awards and prizes, among them the Human Rights Award for her 1989 biography of an Aboriginal relative, Jack McPhee, Wanamurraganya.
YouTube:
Sally Morgan and Gladys Milroy on The Couch
YouTube:
Storytime with Sally Morgan & Blaze Kwaymullina
[with pre-schoolers]
Links
Some books written by Sally :
Your Family's Culture (submitted by Ella Barry, Teacher, ACT)
Australian
Curriculum Cross Curriculum Priorities:
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures 1. Contemplate your own families culture, think about your history, traditions and any rituals you may have. Sally was able to capture her families culture through her artwork [101] and stories which you can view here: Australian & New Zealand Art Sales Digest Just like Sally, work to your strengths to create a something which highlights your families culture. Perhaps you could create
My Place and the Stolen Generations (adapted from ideas of Ella Barry, Teacher, ACT) Secondary
Australian
Curriculum General Capability:
Critical and creative thinking Australian Curriculum Cross Curriculum Priorities: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures Cooperative Learning Activity
Background Sally’s
family life was essentially shaped by being a part of the Stolen Generation.
If you are unaware of what the stolen generation is, familiarise yourself by
watching these videos:
YouTube:
07: The Stolen Generations interview [23m]
1. Form into groups of 3 - 4 students. Write notes about what Prof. Peter Read said and list words that you are not familiar with. a. What is cultural "cleansing"? b. "Just imagine that your
children [in the 1950s] are taken by police at lunchtime" and the parents
didn't know. c. Dr Susan Carland is the interviewer in this video. What other questions would you like to have asked Prof Peter Read?
YouTube:07: The Stolen Generations
2. Reconciliation Australia creates posters each year for National Reconciliation Week. Your group is to create a poster [or art work including mosaics] in the vain of Sally Morgan's art work for Reconciliation Week [27 May - 3 June] using Canva These dates commemorate two significant milestones in the reconciliation journey— the successful 1967 referendum, and the High Court Mabo decision respectively.
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