- Important truth telling book about the ‘gallery of buried lives’ at Wadjemup (Rottnest Island) has been awarded the Margaret Medcalf Award for excellence in research using Western Australian State archives
- ‘The Lives and Legacies of a Carceral Island’ explores the forgotten history of the island from the deep time of Aboriginal people through to more recent history and its legacies
- A range of extraordinary stories from the State archives were explored in high quality works shortlisted for the Award
A rare and poignant collection of Indigenous, European and colonial island dweller portrayals of Wadjemup (Rottnest Island) has been awarded the Margaret Medcalf Award for excellence in research using Western Australian State archives.
The book, titled ‘The Lives and Legacies of a Carceral Island: A Biographical History of Wadjemup/Rottnest Island’ by Ann Curthoys, Shino Konishi and Alexandra Ludewig, provides a unique insight into the history of Western Australia’s favourite holiday island.
Judges were impressed by the reconstruction of fragments of history through archival work and historical research.
The Margaret Medcalf Award recognises excellence in research and referencing using the State Archives Collectionthe largest archival collection in Western Australia.
This annual award honours the second State Archivist, Ms Margaret Medcalf OAM.
For further information on the Margaret Medcalf Award and the State Archives visit: https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/state-records-office-of-western-australia
Comments attributed to Culture and Arts Minister David Templeman:
“I congratulate Professor Curthoys, Associate Professor Konishi, Professor Ludewig, and authors of other works nominated for the Margaret Medcalf Award for revealing new insight about our history through their research.
“This research tells the stories of our past recorded in the State archives and our other cultural collections.
“I encourage anyone with an interest in truth telling, our Indigenous past and indeed our colonial past, to read this book.
“It is an important part of our collective history, and the stories need to be told.”
Additional information:
Ann Curthoysis an honorary professor at the University of Western Australia and the University of Sydney and is Professor Emerita at the Australian National University.
Shino Konishi is an Aboriginal historian and descends from the Yawuru people of Broome,
Western Australia. She is an associate professor in the Institute for Humanities and Social
Sciences at the Australian Catholic University.
Alexandra Ludewig is Professor of German Studies and the Head of the School of Humanities at the University of Western Australia, and a Rottnest Volunteer Guide.
