Isabel Flick: The Many Lives of an Extraordinary Aboriginal Woman

288 Pages·2004·1.17 MB·English

by  Isabel Flick, Heather Goodall

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Isabel Flick’s life story is co-authored with Heather Goodall, a friend and
historian who has researched widely into Aboriginal and general history in
NSW and whose first book, Invasion to Embassy, was awarded the NSW
Premier’s Prize for Australian History in 1997. Isabel asked Heather to assist
her in 1998 to research and write her life story by recording her memories and
editing the transcripts. By the time Isabel suddenly became seriously ill late
in 1999, she had recorded many hours about her early life and the little-
understood tensions in rural townships in the 1950s and 1960s. When it
became clear her illness was terminal, she passed the work of completing the
book over to Heather, who has since this time worked closely with Isabel’s
family to take up the story of Isabel’s later life and her search for understand-
ing of her community’s history.
As it has taken shape, Isabel’s life story is told largely in her own words,
but now incorporates insights from her family and close friends and
colleagues, many of whom were those who knew her best throughout her
turbulent life. One of Isabel’s many strengths was her ability to form deep and
productive relationships with non-Aboriginal as well as Aboriginal people.
The contributions to the book, as well as those segments about Isabel’s later
years which have been authored by Heather, reflect those relationships with
white Australians and others as well as Isabel’s complex and dynamic engage-
ments within the Aboriginal community.
‘This is a wonderful book—moving, intelligent, and informative. It combines
the genres of autobiography, oral history, and biography to tell the story of the
life of a clearly remarkable woman, Isabel Flick. It made me laugh, cry, and
think afresh.’
Professor Ann Curthoys
Author of Freedom Ride
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Heather Goodall is a Sydney-based historian and activist. She has worked in
collaboration with Aboriginal people on many projects since 1972, when she
first met Isabel Flick. In New South Wales and central Australia, Heather has
recorded oral history and memories with Aboriginal people for many projects,
such as the documentation of community sites, including the Collarenebri
cemetery; research in Land Rights and Native Title; the investigations into
Black Deaths in Custody and research into women’s history and community
history. Her book, Invasion to Embassy: land in Aboriginal politics in New South
Wales, was awarded the NSW Premier’s Prize for Australian History in 1997.
Heather teaches at the University of Technology, Sydney, where she is an
Associate Professor in Social Inquiry and a member of the Centre for
Trans/forming Cultures, and is also continuing her research and writing in
Aboriginal history, environmental history and inter-cultural relations in
Australia. She lives with her husband, Paul Torzillo, and her two daughters,
Emma and Judith, in Glebe.
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The many lives of an extraordinary Aboriginal woman
Isabel Flick and
Heather Goodall
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Published with the assistance of the
Australian Academy of the Humanities
All photographs were found in Isabel’s collections of
papers and albums, unless their source is otherwise stated.
First published in 2004
Copyright © Isabel Flick and Heather Goodall 2004
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying, recording or by any information storage
and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the
publisher. The Australian Copyright Act 1968 (the Act) allows a
maximum of one chapter or 10 per cent of this book, whichever is the
greater, to be photocopied by any educational institution for its
educational purposes provided that the educational institution (or
body that administers it) has given a remuneration notice to
Copyright Agency Limited (CAL) under the Act.
Allen & Unwin
83 Alexander Street
Crows Nest NSW 2065
Australia
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email:
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Contents
Foreword vii
Acknowledgements ix
Isabel’s Family xi
Isabel’s Country xii
Introduction: Making Trouble xiii
1 ‘Owning the World’: The Old Camp at Collarenebri, 1930s 1
2 Toomelah Mission: A Place of Learning, 1938–1942 23
3 Learning From the Street, 1940s 39
4 Building Pressures, 1950s 61
5 Confrontations, 1960s 88
6 Entangling the City with the Bush, 1972–1978 120
7 Reinventing Isabel, 1977–1980 146
8 Changing Collarenebri, 1980s 162
9 Land Rights on the Ground, 1983–1993 186
10 Sisters, 1993 on 214
11 A Wider Focus, 1995–2000 227
12 The Dipping Place 249
Notes 257
Index 263
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I dedicate this book to my six children: Ben, Larry, Brenda, Tony, Amy
and Aubrey, who were denied full commitment from me as a mother as
I was always working, trying to provide just a little something extra
for them.—Isabel
My writing for this book was in memory of Isabel, but is dedicated to
the wider Flick family, to Isabel’s brothers and sisters and their families as
well as her own, those warm, brave and extraordinary people who have
changed the way we see the world.—Heather
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Foreword
The art of story telling—and the value of personal narratives—is beautifully
captured by this wonderful book about an amazing woman who lived through
tough times. The life of Isabel Flick is the story of an Australian hero. A hero
who fought injustice with her every breath, every minute of her life. Isabel
Flick did not just take up the battles of her own people; she took up the
battles of decency and fairness for all.
Isabel’s story is also a reflection of the treatment, policies and life
experiences of the indigenous people in north-western New South Wales. It
captures experiences of shocking racism, injustice and incredible pain, and
also the important bond of family and community. It shows Isabel’s wonder-
ful humour, her love of life and her great humility, all mixed with an iron will.
The collaborative effort of Heather Goodall and the Flick family in putting
this book together strengthens our collective narrative.
There is one story that, for me, captures Isabel Flick the person. One
of her dreams was to get a tarred road from the township of Collarenebri
to the Aboriginal cemetery, which is located on private property about six
kilometres out of town. For over twenty years the dream was passionately
pursued. In November 2002, the road was finally completed, eighteen
months after Izzie’s death.
I attended the opening of Bell’s Way. There were people, both Abori-
ginal and non-Aboriginal, from all over. The northwest towns were
represented by the elders and senior people from those communities, and the
Flick family were dignified and present in great force.
What that road symbolises is a tribute to the life of Isabel Flick. Bell’s
Way and the battle to have it constructed is a very important stitching in of
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an additional beautiful piece of fabric to the mosaic of our Australian story.
I am forever grateful to Isabel Flick and I know her spirit flew high that day—
every speaker invoked her memory.
Aunty Izzie rests in that cemetery in the knowledge that her many
visitors these days will be able to come no matter how much rain falls. The
coloured glass that defines the family graves sparkle just that little bit more.
It is a great honour to provide a very inadequate foreword to pay tribute
to a true battler—and a giant in the collective memory of the thousands of
people touched by Isabel Flick. She truly did touch many lives, had many
of her own and was an extraordinary Aboriginal woman.
Linda Burney
MP, Member for Canterbury
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Acknowledgements
There are many people whom Isabel would have liked to have thanked for
supporting her throughout her life and in the process of making this book
happen. I can record at least some of them here.
First there are Isabel’s family. Her eldest son, Ben, became tragically ill
and passed away just before Isabel’s own final illness, but his interest in her
wide political experiences was an important spur to her decision to begin the
book. Her surviving children, Larry, Brenda, Tony, Amy and Aubrey, have
all contributed in different ways. They talked over the themes, encouraged
her to find the time to do the recordings, suggested what might go in and
what should come out, found photos and papers, laughed and cried over
drafts and encouraged me in the final writing. Isabel’s partner, Ted Thorne,
patiently listened to and talked over every word of the draft. Isabel’s brothers
and sisters have all been encouraging, and Joe and Rose particularly have
been central in researching and in contributing memories. Isabel’s sisters-in-
law, Isobelle Flick, Rosie Flick and Doreen Hynch, were each generous with
their contributing stories and deeply involved with Isabel’s research into her
family and Collarenebri’s history. Isabel’s nieces, Barbara and Karen, and her
nephew, Joey, have been tireless in offering words, images and memories.
There has been a wider circle of friends, from Collarenebri, Toomelah,
Gunnedah and many other towns of the region, who supported Isabel as she
gathered the threads of her life together. Finally, Isabel could not have begun
and I could not have continued with the work of this book without Isabel’s
close friends, Kevin Cook and Judy Chester, who supported Isabel and me
with encouragement, careful reading of drafts and sustained confidence over
many years.
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Isabel Flick
The research for the book involved country travel, photography and
audio recording, and this was resourced by a generous grant from the Union
of Australian Women, an enduring and important organising body of women
who wanted to support an Aboriginal woman to tell her story. The Rona-
Tranby Foundation assisted the UAW to administer the funds and together
they allowed Isabel to accomplish research for this project which otherwise
would not have been possible.
Isabel’s family wish to thank Ted Fernando of the Collarenebri Local
Land Council, for assisting to fulfil Isabel’s dream of sealing the cemetery
road.
Many people were consulted in the research for this book and those with
close links to Collarenebri who were most generous in their assistance were
Harry Denyer, Dawn Stallworthy and Archie Kalokerinos. Nadia Wheatley
showed me ways to make the collaborative writing approach work well and
her confidence in the project helped to keep it going. Peter Thompson, Judy
Torzillo, Paul Torzillo, Meredith Burgmann and Brian Doolan have all read
sections of drafts and offered perspectives, comments and memories. I am
grateful to the readers of the manuscript, Ann Curthoys and Bain Attwood,
whose valuable responses and suggestions have strengthened the work.
Elizabeth Weiss of Allen & Unwin has been a clear-sighted and encour-
aging publisher and we have been fortunate in having the valuable editorial
judgement of Colette Vella and Belinda Lee. This book would not have been
created, however, without John Iremonger, whose persistent encouragement
nurtured a chaotic dream towards reality. John’s insight, generosity and
warmth continue to be deeply missed.
And because all writing grabs every spare minute and every last shred of
concentration, I want to thank my daughters, Judith and Emma, and my
husband, Paul, for their extraordinary patience, love and warm encourage-
ment.
Heather Goodall
January 2004
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