When the Pelican Laughed: The remarkable First Nations memoir of a courageous woman

There are many unsung heroines in Black Australia, and Alice is one of them.

At the time of its publication, When the Pelican Laughed was a landmark work that exposed what white Australians are reluctant to face - that is, the extent to which Aboriginal workers were effectively, and actually, slaves.

A natural-born storyteller, Alice was born in the Pilbara in the early 20th century. Stolen from her home at a young age, she was first taken to Moore River Settlement before being forced into service as an indentured domestic.

By the end of her long, rich life, Alice had emerged triumphant, was secure in her culture and in her extensive network of family and friends.

Now available as a new edition with a stunning cover by award-winning artist Jenna Lee (Gulumerridjin (Larrakia), Wardaman, and KarraJarri Saltwater woman artist of Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, and Anglo-Australian ancestry).

Alice Nannup was born on a Pilbara station in 1911 to an Aboriginal mother and white father. She was taken from her community at the age of twelve and sent south to work as a domestic servant. After her marriage in 1932, Alice raised ten children. Known as 'Nan', she lived in Geraldton surrounded by her friends and extensive family until she passed away in November 1995.

Lauren Marsh is a writer and researcher born in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, in 1961. She co-wrote and co-produced The Coolbaroo Club (1996), an ABC Television documentary.

Stephen Kinnane is a Marda Marda from Mirriwoong country in the East Kimberley. He has been an active writer and researcher for more than 25 years as well as lecturing and working on sustainability, politics and history with a focus on regional and local community resilience, belonging and connections with place. His interests are diverse, encompassing Aboriginal history, creative documentary (both visual and literary), regional sustainability and resource scarcity. Kinnane co-wrote and co-produced The Coolbaroo Club (1996), an ABC TV documentary awarded the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Human Rights Award for the Arts. He is also the author of Shadow Lines (Fremantle Press, 2004).