SHORTLISTED for the Prime Minister's Literary Awards 2017 (Australian History)
SHORTLISTED for the Northern Territory Chief Minister's History Book Award 2017
SHORTLISTED for the Territory Read 2018 Book of the Year Award
Fifty years ago, a group of striking Aboriginal stockmen in the remote Northern Territory of Australia heralded a revolution in the cattle industry and a massive shift in Aboriginal affairs. A Handful of Sand tells the story behind the Gurindji people's famous Wave Hill Walk-off in 1966, and questions the meaning of the return of their land by Gough Whitlam in 1975. Sensitively and perceptively written, A Handful of Sand reveals the path Vincent Lingiari and other Gurindji elders took to achieve their land rights victory, and how their real struggles began, rather than ended, with Whitlam's handback.
Not since Frank Hardy's The Unlucky Australians (1968) have the experiences of the Gurindji Walk-off leaders and their children been related with such insight and empathy. A Handful of Sand is essential reading for anyone seeking to understanding the complex nature of the challenges confronting both 'white' Australian policy makers and remote Aboriginal leaders.