Ruth Hegarty
Encyclopedia
Ruth Hegarty is an Aboriginal Elder and author
.
Hegarty is well known for her non-fiction novel
s that document her personal history as one of the Stolen Generation
. Her first book, Is That You Ruthie?, is based on her experiences in the Cherbourg Aboriginal Mission
where she lived until the age of 14. Her second novel, Bittersweet journey is her story from her early married life, her dealings with the Native Affairs Department, and her work in community politics and Indigenous organisations.
Is That You Ruthie? won the 1989 Queensland Premier's Literary Awards
, Unpublished Indigenous Writer - The David Unaipon
Award.
At the settlement Hegarty formed strong friendships with the other girls in the dormitories. They were constantly supervised, punished and whipped for minor misdemeanours. The girls in the dormatory stayed together for support and for protection. There was no natural justice, just strict discipline and punishment. She states:
In 1943, Hegarty was sent away from the Cherbourg settlement to work as a domestic servant. Travelling to her new job, at the age of 14, she travelled alone for the first time in her life. She did not know the people she was travelling to work for and she felt very isolated and vulnerable.
In the 1960s after accessing her records from Cherbourg, when she found that many of the letters she had written to her friends at the mission had not been delivered, Hegerty organised a reunion of the girls she grew up with at Cherbourg.
Ruth married Joe Hegarty, whom she had known since childhood, and has a family of eight children.
For more than 30 years Hegarty has volunteered on community projects in the areas of youth and aged services. In 1998 she was awarded the Premier's Award for Queensland Seniors Year for her services to the community. She is a founding member of Koobara Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Family Resource Centre.
In the 2007 Senate enquiry in Stolen Wages Hegerty was a member of the Queensland Stolen Wages Working Group.
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
.
Hegarty is well known for her non-fiction novel
Non-fiction novel
The non-fiction novel is a literary genre which, broadly speaking, depicts real historical figures and actual events narrated woven together with fictitious allegations and using the storytelling techniques of fiction. The non-fiction novel is an otherwise loosely-defined and flexible genre...
s that document her personal history as one of the Stolen Generation
Stolen Generation
The Stolen Generations were the children of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent who were removed from their families by the Australian Federal and State government agencies and church missions, under acts of their respective parliaments...
. Her first book, Is That You Ruthie?, is based on her experiences in the Cherbourg Aboriginal Mission
Cherbourg, Queensland
Cherbourg is a town in the South Burnett region of Queensland, Australia. It is located off the Bunya Highway approximately north-west of Brisbane and from the town of Murgon. It is situated very close to the dam wall of Bjelke-Petersen Dam. Attractions in Cherbourg include the 'Bert Button...
where she lived until the age of 14. Her second novel, Bittersweet journey is her story from her early married life, her dealings with the Native Affairs Department, and her work in community politics and Indigenous organisations.
Is That You Ruthie? won the 1989 Queensland Premier's Literary Awards
Queensland Premier's Literary Awards
The Queensland Premier's Literary Awards were inaugurated in 1999 and have grown to become a leading literary awards program within Australia, with $225,000 in prizemoney over 14 categories. One of Australia's richest prizes, top categories offer up to $25,000 for 1st prize.-Fiction Book...
, Unpublished Indigenous Writer - The David Unaipon
David Unaipon
David Unaipon was an Australian Aboriginal of the Ngarrindjeri people, a preacher, inventor and writer. He was the most widely known Aboriginal in Australia, and broke stereotypes of Aboriginals...
Award.
Life
Hegarty and her mother, Ruby, were initially housed together in the dormitories at the Cherbourg Aboriginal Mission. When Hegarty was 4 years old they were separated, when Ruby was sent away to work. They only had intermittent contact from that time onwards.At the settlement Hegarty formed strong friendships with the other girls in the dormitories. They were constantly supervised, punished and whipped for minor misdemeanours. The girls in the dormatory stayed together for support and for protection. There was no natural justice, just strict discipline and punishment. She states:
In 1943, Hegarty was sent away from the Cherbourg settlement to work as a domestic servant. Travelling to her new job, at the age of 14, she travelled alone for the first time in her life. She did not know the people she was travelling to work for and she felt very isolated and vulnerable.
In the 1960s after accessing her records from Cherbourg, when she found that many of the letters she had written to her friends at the mission had not been delivered, Hegerty organised a reunion of the girls she grew up with at Cherbourg.
Ruth married Joe Hegarty, whom she had known since childhood, and has a family of eight children.
For more than 30 years Hegarty has volunteered on community projects in the areas of youth and aged services. In 1998 she was awarded the Premier's Award for Queensland Seniors Year for her services to the community. She is a founding member of Koobara Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Family Resource Centre.
In the 2007 Senate enquiry in Stolen Wages Hegerty was a member of the Queensland Stolen Wages Working Group.
External links
- Women in Australia’s Working History Australian Workers Heritage Centre
- Ruth Hegarty
- Inquiry into Stolen Wages, Submissions and Additional Information received by the committee as at 6/06/2007 Parliament of Australia - Senate
- Taken/Ruth Portrait - Interview with Aunty Ruth Hegarty by Robert Davidson, Topology