City of Belmont - Ruth Faulkner Public Library

Under a bilari tree I born, Alice Bilari Smith, with Anna Vitenbergs and Loreen Brehaut

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Under a bilari tree I born

Alice Bilari Smith, with Anna Vitenbergs and Loreen Brehaut

Alice Bilari Smith lived in the Pilbara, on stations and in the bush, on government reserves and in towns. Narrowly avoiding removal from her family by 'the Welfare', life on the stations taught her to cook and launder, sew and clean, shoe horses, chop wood and milk cows. Her working life on stations continued as a young married woman and she added mustering, dingo scalping, shearers' assistant and sheepyard building to her skills. Alice Bilari Smith also grew up in the ways of the country, hunting, cooking and building in the traditional manner. By the time she had five children of her own she was playing an active role in caring for other Aboriginal children and she initiated the establishment of a Homemakers Centre in Roebourne