Seven seasons in Aurukun: my unforgettable time at a remote Aboriginal school (Book review)

Abstract

Seven Seasons in Aurukun is a timely and valuable contribution to a facet of contemporary Australia that is complex, political, and frequently misrepresented or misunderstood. Paula Shaw has written a reflective narrative about the time she spent as a teacher in a remote school within an Indigenous community in far North Queensland, Australia. Her identity and role as a teacher are central to the story being told. To teach is the reason for her being in the community; it is the perspective from which she relates to the community; and teaching provides the structure of the narrative of her time in the community. In the introduction Shaw informs the reader (p. vii) that it is her intention to help elucidate 'some of the issues in an Aboriginal community for a non-Indigenous person working across cultures'. This sets the scene for perspective and positionality as important themes and points of reference embedded throughout the story, which in turn situates the book within a broader cultural discourse and invites academic interest. There is honesty and sincerity in Shaw's approach, as a relatively young and new teacher, the book is filled with vignettes of the personal and professional challenges and frustrations she encounters. Interspersed with this is the more uncomfortable commentary and reflection of the socio-political rupture that is experienced concomitant with relocating from an urban environment into a remote Indigenous community.