Always Was, Always Will Be

by Aunty Fay Muir, Sue Lawson

‘Each protest has been a stepping stone to the next battle...’

From the first protest of January 26th as a Day of Mourning in 1938, to the Pilbara Strike of 1946, to the struggle for the right to vote and be counted; the fight for justice for First Nations people takes many forms.

Always Was, Always Will Be takes a closer look at some of the iconic First Peoples protest movements of the last 200 years, celebrating the strength, wisdom, and bravery of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people defending their land and asserting their right to self-determination through history.

Genres: Nonfiction, Historical

90 pages, Hardcover

Published June 10, 2024

About the author

Fay Stewart-Muir is a Boonwurrung Elder who cares about sharing her culture and stories with all, to enjoy and take on a journey of learning.

Reviews

[Rizki Febriani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful books full of pictures ans illustration of the fight of the First Nations people in Australia to be acknowledge.

[Sarah Elliott · Rating 1 out of 5]

My husband and children are indigenous, so I have great love for indigenous peoples. BUT this is one of the most misleading and bitter children’s history books that I’ve come across. There were definitely wrongs done in Australia’s modern history. Full citizenship and voting rights should’ve been given right from the beginning, and it took far too long for this to be remedied. But let’s be honest, those things HAVE been remedied now, and the violence the indigenous experienced in our history didn’t begin just when Europeans conquered the land, as this book misleadingly tells children in its opening chapters. Spearing and murdering women was common pre-European settlement, mistreatment and sexual abuse of both women and children abounded, and tribal infighting was a way of life. It’s not ok that Europeans were violent towards indigenous too, but let’s not pretend they were the first, or that it never went both ways, or that Europeans didn’t implement strategies and law to try to stop the violence against/among indigenous, to protect men, women and children. Yes, it really is sad for natives when a country is conquered. Yes, they lose the land they were free to move on before. And yes, it’s wrong that Aboriginals weren’t invited to those specific conferences and meetings discussed in the book. However, let’s not ignore the fact that those meetings happened in the hopes of a better future for indigenous, or that Aboriginal Australians today don’t have access to far more services, representation in politics, and opportunity than non-indigenous (I know from personal experience as an indigenous family!). So let’s not pretend that by not “paying the rent” as this book recommends to CHILDREN that we do, that there is some great injustice still being committed that we need to use the (ironically) British democratic system that Australia inherited to protest against. Australia has come a long way in its approach to Aboriginals and that should at least be acknowledged.

[Sarah]

Read via ebook.

While this was good I did want a little bit more out of it since it did at times feel like supplementary material to something more general about Indigenous Australian people, this feeling is probably at least partly due to how short it is but also sometimes it felt like there should've been more context or detail to the significant and historical events mentioned.

It also sometimes felt repetitive, with the events discussed often revolving around an Indigenous man or men going to and from NSW or Victoria with petitions and strikes and the sets backs to them. There isn't much of a problem that these were discussed, as I understand that it's to show the small wins and slow progress but it also doesn't make it as interesting of a book as it could be.

These two points to me (as a white female) came to it's head when talking about the assimilation and pain that the Stolen Generations endured. The book mentioned that after being taken to Cootamundra that some girls recalled seeing a sign that said 'Think white. Act white, Be white'. It would have been nice to learn the names of those girls but the book doesn't say even though it does often mention the names of the indigenous men.

Despite these criticisms and possibly sounding more negative that I intend to be, I do still think it's informative and interesting if someone want to learn about specific events in history about First Nations peoples rights. I also liked the few pages about protest art and how important it can be.

[Catherine in Space · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good book. It's not an easy book, as the authors don't shy away from the prices activists have paid for small gains nor the fact that we still have a long way to go to make things right, but it's a good book, and every Australian kid should read it.

[Suzanne Toomey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very clear and descriptive book letting us know the history of the aboriginal people. It has a timeline of the atrocities committed against them and their battle for recognition in the constitution. Next stop ratifying the voice to parliament.

[Jazz Maree · Rating 5 out of 5]

I needed this book in highschool tbh

[Lauredhel · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book of the history of First Nations protest movements in Australia. Suitable for middle grade and up, but I learned things also. Recommended.

[Jennie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aunty Fay Muir and Sue Lawson provide a clear focus for this significant coverage stating: ‘Many people today see current campaigns as new ideas, but a look at history shows us First Nations People have been fighting for equal rights since Europeans first arrived in Botany Bay.’ Framing discussion through the lens of Australia’s democratic system and the right to protest, the book details the activism of many First Nations individuals including well known individuals such as Barangaroo and Eddie Mabo and leading change agents such as Faith Bandler and Pearl Gibbs. Important group actions such as strikes) and the establishment of various organisations are covered as well as the impact of The Stolen Generation and Sorry Day on both past and present political and social justice influences.

Clearly stated text make presents fascinating and enlightening reading. Numerous images and illustrations add to the authenticity of the commentary as well as personalising the information. Supported by a table of contents focused headings and a glossary this is an excellent book for upper primary and secondary students (and adults to fill in the gaps of a colonial education system) to engage with history from a First Nations stance. It clearly demonstrated to me that my own education presented a sanitised and biased stance and i learnt a great deal as I read this book from cover to cover.

CBCA 2025 Eve Pownall Notable title.
CBCA 2025 Eve Pownall Shortlist title.