A Girl from Belele

It's the 1940s in outback Australia. Children play in the red dirt that their family has called home for the past 50,000 years. One child, Susie, a snotty nosed, sandy blonde hair and light skinned four-year old, plays with her extend family under the watchful eye of her mum Molly. Her carefree life suddenly crashes down thanks to A O Neville and she is forcible removed and sent to Sister Kate's Home for Orphans. She is now officially what in later years will be known as one of The Stolen Generation.She would not see her mum for another 30 years and the path laid before her by society was one of domestic servitude.But there was a catch. Everyone underestimated her and she went on the prove them all wrong.Dr Gordon is a remarkable woman and a trailblazer for many Aboriginal men and women in Australia. Some of her achievements include:¿Army¿The first Aboriginal person in WA to head a government department - she was the Commissioner for Aboriginal Planning.¿Chair of Taskforce NT¿The first Aboriginal person to be appointed a Magistrate in the Children's Court of WA.¿The Chair of many national Boards including the Gordon Inquiry into family violence and child abuse in WA Aboriginal communities.¿On the first ATSIC Board and first Chair of the National Indigenous Council.¿Completed a Bachelor of Laws at UWA and received Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters from UWA.The book follows Dr Gordon's life from birth through to her 80th birthday, this year. It is not a book about being a victim or blaming what was an intrinsically flawed system. This is a story of courage, determination, hardships, loss and joy.It is a story of triumph over unimaginable adversity.