BOOK REVIEW: My Dad's Gone Away

My Dad’s Gone Away explores a child’s experience of parental incarceration while highlighting the disproportionate imprisonment of First Australians, writes Jim Kable.

MAGABALA BOOKS is the leading publisher in Australia of books by and about First Australians.

Its origins go back to a large gathering of First Australians in 1985 in the Kimberley region of Western Australia (under the auspices of the Kimberley Aboriginal Law and Culture Centre — KALACC) wanting to highlight First Australians' stories and culture.

One of its first publications (1990) was the autobiography Wandering Girl by Glenyse Ward, following its first in 1987 about bush foods — Mayi: Some bush fruits of the West Kimberley by Merrilee Lands. Since then, it has published more than 320 titles by First Australians from across Australia, including the Torres Strait Islands.

My copy of My Dad’s Gone Away, by Andrew Krakouer and Jacqueline Dinan, arrived for me to review. I had read only the brief description in Independent Australia and had really no idea of how the story focused especially on First Australians.

But given the fact that First Australians are vastly over-represented in prisons and juvenile institutions right around Australia – though most especially in Western Australia and Queensland, and particularly in the Northern Territory – it doesn’t take a great deal of intelligence to see why.

Consider the 19th and 20th-century massacres and racist policies of land theft, dispossession and ill-treatment; “missions”, “Stolen Generations” and “Deaths-in-Custody”; along with a lack of proper education till the latter 20th Century. It’s not difficult to see the incarceration for the lack of true justice it represents.

Tarah is the child at the centre of the book. Her confusion and concerns about the disappearance of her father leave her wondering if he’s gone shearing or riding in rodeos or gone on a fishing trip. Clearly, parts of previous absences in their lives. Her mother finally explains where he is. And then the big day arrives — a long drive to visit Dad. Then entry through the scary security checks, including a sniffer dog, to see her Dad.

Tenderly illustrated by Paul Seden, a descendant of the North Queensland Wuthathi and Muralag peoples, statistics at the close of the story illustrate how racist the policies are that lock First Peoples away in Australia.

One other thing struck me. When I was just two, my own Dad went away and never returned — killed in a car accident. I’ve spent many years wondering how my understanding of that absence impacted me. One day there, carrying me around; the next day vanished. All I have are the stories of my mother and some photos. And a lifelong search.

In Tarah’s story, there is hope and connection, both for her and her mother and father.

My Dad's Gone Away is available from Magabala Books.

This book was reviewed by an IA Book Club member. If you would like to receive free high-quality books and have your review published on IA, subscribe to receive your complimentary IA Book Club membership.

Jim Kable was a secondary school teacher of English (including EAL), History, and Japanese, before spending most of his final two decades of teaching English in Japan, 1990s and 2000s. For a brief two years, he was a member of the now-defunct New Liberals from 2020 to 2022. He takes a keen and informed view of politics.