Year 10 English : Race, Power and Justice 

Visiting author Tony Birch discusses 'The White Girl'

Tony Birch, acclaimed author, poet, historian, activist and academic, visited Year 10 Race, Power and Justice students earlier this term to discuss his novel ‘The White Girl’ which is the focus of their English study.

Birch shared candidly his story of becoming a writer despite being expelled from two secondary schools, returning to TAFE to complete Year 12 and then attending University where after initially completing a PhD in History eventually moved into the English department.

He has published four novels, five short fiction collections and two books of poetry as well as non-fiction, many of which are available in the Northcote High School Library. It was his research into archival materials that partially inspired ‘The White Girl’, particularly the heartfelt and poignant stories of Aboriginal women who wrote letters of complaint and advocated for the rights of Aboriginal people, fighting for children to be returned to their families.

‘The White Girl’ is set in the fictionalised town of Deane in the mid-1960s ahead of the landmark 1967 Referendum. Pertinent to the year 2024, post Voice Referendum, the story tracks how various legislative controls and institutions have oppressed Aboriginal peoples over time. The novel focuses on the loving relationship between a Grandmother Odette Brown and her granddaughter Cecilia, endearingly known as ‘Sissy’. Birch conveys the love and tenderness within families, a story not often told.

Despite featuring many Aboriginal characters Birch also spoke with students about his intentional depiction of non-Aboriginal characters who were compassionate towards the plight of Aboriginal people and who spoke out against the white authorities and the racism they witnessed.

Birch’s novel, and his author talk, opened students’ eyes to what it might have been like for Aboriginal people living under ‘the Act’ in the 1960s and the corrosive and ongoing effects of racism.

Having grown up and still living around Fitzroy, on Wurundjeri Country, Birch shared that he enjoys the walk across Edinburgh Gardens to speak at our school. We are immensely grateful for his generosity in sharing his insights and hope to welcome him back to the school again.

~Anna Carrig