This interview with Ann Sibosado was conducted by twelve-year-old Jeliaha Councillor, in 2015, as part of the 'Though our Eyes' - Town of Port Hedland Libraries Oral History Project.
It is by sharing these stories and images from our collection, we hope to initiate meaningful and respectful relationships. By acknowledging the truths of our past, we hope to heal together.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are advised that this post may contain images of deceased persons.
“Where was you born?”
I am a Kariyarra person, you know, the Kariyarra people that are the people of this place.
I was born during the War, in 1942, so Mum went to Perth and had me in King Edward Hospital. That’s where we stayed for three or four years and then we came back to South Hedland, Port Hedland.
I’ll give some background on my family – My mother came down from Wallal to Yandeyarra. That’s why I have friends in Yandeyarra. My mum lived there and that’s where my dad met my mum.
My dad was a Lockyer and he came from Mallina Station, near Whim Creek.
Dad enlisted in the war, but because he had asthma they brought him back and he stayed in Queensland. He was probably doing the roads or whatever.
He had five brothers and they all enlisted, and two died in the War. They all sorta…they never talked about it.
When we left Perth… we had to go along slowly, so we stopped at a few places. Kalgoorlie, Meekatharra, Marble Bar. Then we came across to Port Hedland on the train. Everywhere we went we stayed for a while cos Dad had to work.
“Did youse used to live in like... a little house or a shack?”
We had an old house. We had hessian bags for our walls inside the house. We never had a sink or anything, we just washed up with one of those dishes. We didn’t have a shower ‘til I became a teenager, so we used to just sit in the old washing troughs.
We had a big water tank, and water was very precious. We couldn’t waste it or anything. A truck used to come along and fill the thing up and that’d last us for well over a year or something.
“How many schools have you went to from travelling?”
I only went to St Cecilia’s School in Port Hedland until I was fourteen.
My dad got citizenship rights so that all us kids could go to school, but it meant we weren’t allowed to learn the Aboriginal language and all that stuff.
That is a very painful side of my heart cos we were always with our old aunties and nannas, but we couldn’t learn their language.
Later on, when I finished work, I went back to college. Not like nowadays, you can go to high school. We never had a high school.
“When you go out bush do you look for feed and that?”
Yeah, as kids, we used to go out the bush when we was at White Springs. After the rain we used to get what they called ‘ngarlkus’, little bush onions. A few other girls and I, we used to go and sit and just dig ‘em all up.
My dad used to make damper, we never had no bread then. We used to have kangaroo too… I never tasted a kangaroo stew like my dad made.
“Was it nice back in the old days?”
Yeah, and very small. Port Hedland was very, very small.
We all lived and went fishing around where BHP now is, there used to be mangroves and mud and we used to get cockle shells from there. When the rain came my uncles used to go up the creek and net the prawns, so we all sort of lived off the sea then.
We used to swim at the beach and the wharf in these really big Bombay bloomers! The wharf had those mesh things and a diving board. Yeah, we used to go swimming down there Saturdays and Sundays, stay there right up ‘til five o’clock and we’d get in trouble when we walked back. It was beautiful.
“Do you have any advice for me when I grow up?”
Hmm…go to school. And nowadays you can be or do whatever you want to do. Be positive in yourself. Yes, be proud of yourself because you have a lot of inner things inside you because of your Aboriginality.
Story originally posted on the State Library Facebook page, 7 February 2024.
Listen to the full interview with Ann Sibosado, interviewed by Jeliaha Councillor, as part of the State Library's Oral History Collection. Read the full transcript on the catalogue.
Unfortunately, we don't have any photographs of Ann or Jeliaha. The below photographs are a representation of the places, activities and era from our history catalogue. If you recognise the location or anyone in the below images, please let us know. The Storylines archive is helping to identify photographs of Aboriginal people in the State Library's collection and connecting them with families and communities. Email storylines@slwa.wa.gov.au
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