The 1962 book, written in first person, is described as the autobiography of Waipuldanya, a full-blood Aboriginal man of the
Alawa tribe at Roper River (
Ngukurr) in the
Northern Territory, as told to
Douglas Lockwood. The book concerns Waipuldanya's traditional upbringing and his training to become a skilled medical assistant for the Department of Health at Darwin Hospital. Lockwood wrote the book from more than 100 hours of interview with Roberts.[1][2]I, the Aboriginal won the major literary award at the
Adelaide Festival of the Arts in 1962.[3]
An ABC television film, in which Roberts played himself, was based on the book.[4][5] Directed by
Cecil Holmes, the film won the
Australian Film Institute's Gold Award in 1964.[6] Holmes' wife and indigenous advocate
Sandra Le Brun Holmes contributed an account of the experience of their making I, the Aboriginal to Walkabout.[7]
References
^"All about Australia". The Canberra Times. Vol. 46, no. 13, 049. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 19 February 1972. p. 12. Retrieved 31 May 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
^"Remarkable Man Of Two Worlds". The Canberra Times. Vol. 37, no. 10, 409. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 15 December 1962. p. 18. Retrieved 31 May 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
^"Aboriginal Theme Winner". The Canberra Times. Vol. 36, no. 10, 176. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 17 March 1962. p. 3. Retrieved 31 May 2016 – via National Library of Australia.