Finding something decent to do: Memoirs of a Brisbane activist for Aboriginal rights 1956-1971

Abstract

Joyce Wilding was an extraordinary woman who devoted her life to helping Aboriginal people in Brisbane, Queensland at a time when draconian, racist laws applied. She suffered abuse, death threats and public vilification but never wavered in her commitment to supporting poor and destitute Aboriginal people, despite living in near-poverty herself. Although her compassion and recognition of the rights of Aboriginal people was far ahead of her time, her lack of understanding of Aboriginal culture and Aboriginal agency was very typical of her time, viewing Aboriginal people as helpless and in need of direction. Reading her memoirs in the 21st century is often awkward but her compassion and goodwill shine through every page. These memoirs were hand-written by Joyce Wilding in 1973, and transcribed and annotated by the editor, Cathy Day, in 2020. They give one woman's view of social work to assist Aboriginal people in Brisbane in the 1950s and 1960s.