The Shack that Dad Built

by Elaine Russell

When Elaine Russell was five, her dad built the family a shack just outside the Aboriginal mission at La Perouse in Sydney. In The Shack that Dad Built, Elaine illustrates what life was like for an indigenous kid on the urban fringes. Her recollections range from the happy memories of hide-and-seek in the sand dunes and hunting for bush tucker to more bittersweet memories, such as her “Saddest Christmas Ever” (when the charity responsible for distributing presents to the local Aboriginal kids ran out of toys just as Elaine reached the head of the queue). Elaine’s colorful, painterly illustrations vividly recreate these childhood experiences.

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Elaine Russell was born in 1941 at Tingha (which means 'flat' or 'level place') in northern New South Wales, Australia. Her family moved around to different country towns doing seasonal work such as picking fruit and peas, bagging potatoes or shearing sheep, but much of Elaine's early life was spent on the mission at Murrin Bridge, near Lake Cargelligo, on the Lachlan River.