Joe Northover talks about his Mum’s work for Native Welfare

Audio Recording

Joe Northover talks about his Mum’s work for Native Welfare

Audio Transcript

Mum, yeah, she taught us language and stuff. Mum used to work too. She used to work for the Welfare. When we moved to Collie she got a job at the Welfare there as a homemaker. Mum helped the Noongars, showed them how to look after a house because a lot of Noongars had come in from the bush, lived in a tent and all of a sudden they got this house. What we do? Simple things like using the gas in the stove. They was still sitting outside cooking on a fire. Gas stove inside brand new. Never been used. They were all scared so Mum’s job was to teach them and how to look after them and also to get their kids back out of the mission, how to be good people so if you were good enough you had your kids back.

From: Joe Northover, interview for South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council, 31 July 2008

Protocols
SWALSC followed cultural protocols to obtain permission to use this oral history on the website. It is also protected by copyright law and may only be used for private study, research, criticism or review. If you would like to use it for any commercial purposes, including publication, making copies for sale, or modifying it please contact SWALSC on reception@noongar.org.au or Level 2, 100 Royal Street, East Perth WA 6004.
Note: In some cases the written transcript has been edited with permission from the person interviewed and may differ slightly from the audio recording.

Permission to use this audio recording kindly granted by Joe Northover