Ian Abdulla’s paintings and text offer a snapshot of an Aboriginal family living on a small stretch of the Murray River in South Australia in the 1950s and 1960s. This was a time of immense of profound environmental and social change when the assimilation policy still existed and there were few employment opportunities for Aborigines.

Ian’s personal story of survival affirms the culture of rural Aborigines who despite being dispossessed have been determined to stay on the land.