Fran Dobbie – November 24 2019

Fran is a teacher, author, motivational speaker and mother. She founded the charity Essere (To Be), which runs living skills, resilience building and self-esteem programs for all ages. The daughter of a Yuin woman from the south coast of NSW and an English-born father, Fran believes passionately in the possibility of reconciliation for Australia’s people. She is currently the Director of Earthstar Productions, making TV/documentary series, with the vision of assisting Indigenous/non-Indigenous youth acquire information and knowledge about culture, and personal tools to help deal with confronting issues such as depression, suicide, addiction and anger. Her screenplay/TV productions include Living Edge, On the Edge, Over the Edge, Woollo, the animation film Lurajurri Dreaming, corporate video Can you hear me? and Men Don’t Cry.

Whisper
Hodder Headline, 2000; ISBN 9780733612077
Teenage
This collection of stories is about a very special friendship between Edie, an Aboriginal girl, and Maggie, an Anglo-Australian girl. They live in a small country town and are best friends, despite being so different. Edie lives with her grandmother, though she has been taught to call her ‘Aunty Gwen’. There is no bitterness in Edie when she talks about her mother having left her: just a matter-of-fact ‘Mum couldn’t cope’. While the world of adults and the Stolen Generations are in the background, for the girls, it’s friendship that’s important. These stories of Maggie, farm chores, mischief and the life of the imagination and of the spirit are funny, sad, moving and uplifting, and will touch the hearts of all who read it.

Paper Bags and Dreams
Hachette Australia, 2004; ISBN 9780733614583
Teenage
Maggie is good at school, but Edie always struggles, only ever scraping a pass. When Maggie suddenly gets the chance to leave school and earn money, it is the biggest challenge yet to their friendship. Edie and her younger brother, Matty, are in the care of their grandmother and grandfather, Aunty and Pop, who are good substitute parents – tough and wise, but loving. So far Edie has escaped the big black government cars that have come for many of the Indigenous children in town, but in Paper Bags and Dreams, the cars finally catch up with her. Only Edie’s strength and willingness to defend the parenting she has been given can save the family from being torn apart.