LibGuides: Aunty Joan Collection: Aunty Joan Collection

Biography

The following overview of Aunty Joan’s life is the product of conversations between Aunty Joan and John Clarke in 2019.

Aunty Joan Hendriks, a descendant of the Ngugi people of Moreton Bay Queensland, was an inspiring community leader, an outstanding adult educator and a passionate advocate for reconciliation achieved through the understanding of cultural differences. She believed sharing cultures, spiritualities and ways of living with the land could be the stepping stones to a united Australia where justice and equity prevails. Aunty Joan hoped that this collection will inspire the next generation.

When she looked back on her life, Aunty Joan reflected on how easily she could have become part of Australia’s discarded people. The presence of this collection is testament to her passions in life and her own determination to make education central to her sense of self.

Aunty Joan remembered a childhood of exclusion and feeling that she had no place. She was the only Aboriginal child at Sts Peter and Paul’s School, Bulimba, later joined by her sister. Education seemed foreign. Learning at Lourdes Hill College during her secondary school years was difficult and her motivation to succeed was severely reduced by her feeling that she was very different from her peers. Her Irish father had been disowned by his family for having had the temerity to marry a non-Catholic and an Aboriginal woman. Constantly in her life, she encountered racism that contributed to her own lack of self-confidence. To counter this, Aunty Joan embraced a life of service and education.

In the 1980s, Aunty Joan worked in Aboriginal education in primary and secondary schools, local church and community organisations, in government and internationally at the United Nations Indigenous Peoples Forum. After 30 years of lecturing to Australian Catholic University students, primarily about intercultural understanding, Aunty Joan was awarded ACU’s highest honour, Doctor of the University, in 2012. She has also been an Elder in the Murri Court at Cleveland where her wisdom and experience has contributed to a greater cultural understanding. A consistent advocate for the rights of First Nations people, Aunty Joan was actively involved in the campaign which saw traditional owners win native title recognition over their lands on North Stradbroke Island.

When asked to nominate what she credits for her decision to continue to push herself, she quickly to attributed it to the support of the Sisters of the Good Samaritan. She saw in them a shining example of authentic care. Because of their support, Aunty Joan made the decision to be the best person she could be, to pursue education and to make a difference for others.

A central image in Aunty Joan’s understanding of life came from Asian American philosopher, Jung Young Lee. He calls it Marginal Theology. In the model for this approach, we see two circles of influence in their entirety rather than one swamping the other. The participant’s perspective, however, moves to the edge. For Aunty Joan, it is important to see the entirety of a subject, but to be prepared to move to the edge in order to consider other subjects.

A popular saying that has resonated for Aunty Joan is “If you’re not living on the edge, you’re taking up too much space!”

Connection to Lourdes Hill College

Aunty Joan Hendriks was a significant person within the Lourdes Hill College community. She and her daughters attended the school as pupils and Aunty Joan continued to be a much-loved contributor and counsel to the College until her passing in 2020. In addition, she was a nationally and internationally recognised speaker and advocate for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander community and was an active contributor to many church, community and government groups.

Collection Overview

In 2018, Aunty Joan donated her personal library of books, writings and other influential texts to Lourdes Hill College to form the Aunty Joan Collection to be housed in association with the Lourdes Hill College Public Library.

The Collection comprises 17 boxes of writings, books, periodicals, personal papers and other material collected by Aunty Joan Hendriks and donated to Lourdes Hill College. The majority of the Collection spans the dates 1970-2018. The collection can be searched via the LHC Library catalogue.

“Warning: First Nations Australians are advised that this website may include images or names of people now deceased.”

Acknowledgement of Country

One of Aunty Joan’s many duties had been to lead Acknowledgements of Country and Welcomes to Country. While there are many common elements, she has personalised these important ceremonial duties, hoping to use them to educate her audience in terms of reconciliation.

Aunty Joan always acknowledged and reflected on the special relationship herself and other First Nations people had to their country, the water, sands, animals and skies. She often reflected that this relationship was based on respect and responsibility to take care of country and the people who inhabit it.

Accessing the Collection

The list of resources in the Aunty Joan Collection can be viewed HERE. Further research can be undertaken at the Lourdes Hill Public Library, 86 Hawthorne Rd, Hawthorne 4171.

To organise a visit and to request access to specific resources, please email below at least two days before the proposed visit.

[email protected]

Titles Aunty Joan contributed to

Some of the authors who inspired Aunty Joan

There have been a number of authors who have been particularly influential on Aunty Joan’s thinking. You can explore those authors here:

Frank Brennan Frank Brennan SJ is the CEO of Catholic Social Services Australia and a longtime columnist for Eureka Street. He was previously professor of law, director of strategic research projects (social justice and ethics), Australian Catholic University, adjunct professor at the College of Law and the National Centre for Indigenous Studies, Australian National University.
Mary Coloe PBVM Mary Coloe is a Presentation Sister who has made a significant impression as a theologian and teacher. Member of the Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas; Fellowship for Biblical Studies; Australian Catholic Biblical Association; Catholic Biblical Association of America; Society of Biblical Literature; Appointed by the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity to a Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the disciples (Church) of Christ (2013-18). Her website is http://marycoloe.org.au/homepage/
M. Raphael Consedine PVBM and M.R. MacGinlay PVBM The works of these two Presentation Sisters are indicative of the interest shown by Aunty Joan into the foundation and work of this seminal order of nuns. As the order of the parish where her family grew up, the Presentation Sisters were extremely influential in shaping Aunty Joan’s interest in theology and social justice. With this interest came an abiding admiration for Nano Nagle, the Foundress of the Order.
Sandie Cornish Dr Sandie Cornish is a practitioner in the field of Catholic Social Teaching. She works with the Office for Social Justice of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, and in private practice as a consultant. Sandie is a sessional lecturer with the Australian Catholic University. She has been Director of Quality and Community Engagement for the Sydney College of Divinity, Province Director of Mission of the Society of the Sacred Heart in Australia and New Zealand, and has worked with the Good Shepherd Sisters in research and social policy. She also worked with the Australian Jesuits assisting in research, policy, planning, and formation in their social ministries. Sandie was the Social Justice Education Coordinator for the Diocese of Broken Bay where she had responsibility for the coordination of adult faith programs in social justice, and the development of academic programs in Catholic Social Teaching offered in distance mode through the Broken Bay Institute. Prior to joining The Broken Bay Institute, Sandie led the highly regarded Hong Kong based international human rights agency, the Asian Center for the Progress of Peoples. She was the first woman to head a national agency of the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference, serving as the National Executive Officer of the Australian Catholic Social Justice Council for five years. Sandie played a significant role in each of the major research and consultation activities of the Bishops’ Committee for Justice, Development and Peace during the late 1980’s and 1990’s. Sandie holds a PhD in Practical Theology, a Licentiate in Catholic Social Doctrine and Ethics from the Pontifical Gregorian University, a Master of Public Policy, and a Bachelor of Economics. https://sandiecornish.com/
Jean A. Ellis Jean A. Ellis had a strong interest in Australian Aboriginal society. She is the author of a number of books on the subject. https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/A9260?mainTabTemplate=agentWorksBy
Oodgeroo Noonuccal Oodgeroo Noonuccal, also called (until 1988) Kath Walker original Anglo-Australian name in full Kathleen Jean Mary Ruska, (born Nov. 3, 1920, Australia—died Sept. 16, 1993, Brisbane), Australian Aboriginal writer and political activist, considered the first of the modern-day Aboriginal protest writers. Her first volume of poetry, We Are Going (1964), is the first book by an Aboriginal woman to be published. Raised on Stradbroke Island (Minjerribah), off Moreton Bay, Queensland, where many of the ancient Aboriginal customs were still practiced, the child baptized as Kathleen Ruska was a member of the Noonuccal tribe. Her formal education ended with primary school; at age 13 she entered domestic service in Brisbane. At age 16 she was rejected for nurse’s training because of her Aboriginal descent. She became an activist for Aboriginal rights. In 1942 she enlisted in the Australian Women’s Army Service (established 1941, disbanded 1947), and that same year she married Bruce Walker, though the marriage was short-lived. She campaigned successfully for the 1967 abolition of discriminatory, anti-Aboriginal sections of the Australian constitution. Although she was a vocal critic of Australian government policies, she was awarded the M.B.E. (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in 1970; she returned the award in 1988. Walker’s writings include The Dawn Is at Hand (1966); My People: A Kath Walker Collection (1970), containing her two previously published books of poetry, in addition to new poetry, fiction, essays, and speeches; Stradbroke Dreamtime (1972), including stories of her childhood, traditional Aboriginal folktales, and new tales cast in traditional form; a children’s book, Father Sky and Mother Earth (1981); and a treatment of Aboriginal creation myth, The Rainbow Serpent (1988). By her own admission, her poetry is sloganistic and direct, using easily accessible rhyme schemes and allusions. Polemical and ostensibly unsophisticated, Walker’s poetry enjoys a large audience and is appreciated for its heartfelt, moving evocation of the dispossession of the Aboriginal people, their plight, and their future. This article was most recently revised and updated by Kathleen Kuiper, Senior Editor. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Oodgeroo-Noonuccal
Anne Pattel-Gray Dr Anne Pattel-Gray is an Aboriginal woman who is a descendant of the Bidjara/ Kari Kari people in Queensland and she is a recognised Aboriginal leader within Australia – nationally and internationally. She has dedicated her life to the struggle of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and she is a strong campaigner and lobbyist, deeply committed to seeking justice, equity and equal representation for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people. She is very proud of her Aboriginal culture and heritage and is a strong advocate for Aboriginal women, children, families and community regarding our Cultural and basic Human Rights. She has developed a leadership quality that promotes and builds a deeper sense of community and participation that brings a greater Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage and cultural identity and cohesion with the broader community that leads to beneficial partnerships, engagement and reconciliation. Dr Anne Pattel-Gray has an earned Ph.D. from the University of Sydney awarded in 1995 in the Studies of Religion with the major focus on Aboriginal Religion and Spirituality (she was the first Aboriginal person to graduate with a Ph.D. from the University of Sydney) and a Doctor of Divinity from India awarded in 1997 (the first Aboriginal person to be awarded the D.D.). Dr Pattel-Gray has achieved many firsts in her prestigious life, and she is known as a trail blazer, opening many doors for her people. She is a recognised scholar, theologian, activist and prolific writer with several publications – chapters, articles, edited works and authored books. Dr Anne Pattel-Gray is deeply committed to the advancement of Aboriginal people and to reconciliation between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians. She has over thirty years in senior management as a CEO and she possesses a wealth of experience and she has developed enormous expertise. https://2019.commondreams.org.au/practitioners/anne-pattel-gray
Noel Pearson An Aboriginal activist and respected community leader, Noel Pearson came from the Guugu Yimithirr Aboriginal community at Hope Vale, a Lutheran Mission on Cape York Peninsula. He graduated with an honours degree in history from the University of Sydney. His honours thesis focused on the history of the Hope Vale Lutheran Mission from 1900-1950. Pearson completed a law degree in 1993. In 1990 Pearson co-founded the Cape York Land Council where he was Executive Director until he resigned in 1996. He was also a legal advisor for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission. He continues to advise a number of Indigenous organisations in Cape York, and advocates self-determination and land rights for Indigenous people. https://www.quarterlyessay.com.au/author/noel-pearson
Raimondo Panikkar Raimon Panikkar, (Raimundo Panikkar Alemany), Spanish Roman Catholic theologian (born Nov. 3, 1918, Barcelona, Spain—died Aug. 26, 2010, Tavertet, Spain), was a Jesuit priest and an advocate of interreligious dialogue. Panikkar was the son of an Indian Hindu father and a Catalan Catholic mother. He became an expert in both Christian and Indian thought, and his work sought to inculcate within Christians an appreciation for the insights of non-Western traditions. He divided his time between research in India and teaching duties at various institutions. In 1987, however, he moved near Barcelona, where he established the Raimon Panikkar Vivarium Foundation, which was devoted to intercultural studies. His books include The Unknown Christ of Hinduism (1981), The Cosmotheandric Experience: Emerging Religious Consciousness (1993), and The Rhythm of Being (2009). This article was most recently revised and updated by Karen Sparks, Director and Editor, Britannica Book of the Year. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Raimon-Panikkar
Henry Reynolds A pioneering historian, Henry Reynolds is considered one of the nation’s leading authorities on the history of Australia’s Indigenous people. Henry’s seminal book, The Other Side of the Frontier, published in 1981, was the first to see history from an Aboriginal perspective. An outspoken public intellectual, Henry was the first academic historian to champion Aboriginal land rights. Fighting for reconciliation at a time when it was not popular, Henry was not deterred by the backlash and his courage, tenacity and commitment inspired a generation of Aboriginal and white Australian activists to persevere in their campaign for Aboriginal land and other rights. Henry’s oral history project in the 1970s connected him with Eddie Mabo and greatly contributed to the High Court’s recognition of land rights. Henry’s 20-plus books have not only won a string of awards, they have encouraged young historians to embrace Aboriginal history, have enriched the nation’s understanding of our past and have pointed the way to a better future. https://www.australianoftheyear.org.au/honour-roll/?view=fullView&recipientID=1235
Eugene Stockton Fr Eugene Stockton (born 1934) is a retired Catholic priest and archaeologist in the Blue Mountains region of New South Wales, Australia. Stockton grew up at Lawson in the Blue Mountains from the age of six, attended Sydney University, where he gained doctorates in theology and philosophy. He joined the staff of St Columba's College in 1962, and later travelled to Rome and the Middle East, obtained a licentiate in sacred scriptures in Rome, then taught philosophy in Cairo University, and participated in British-led archaeological excavations of biblical sites in Jericho. Returning to Australia, he lectured at the Springwood and Manly Catholic seminaries and undertook pastoral duties. He undertook archaeological excavations in the Blue Mountains at Kings Table Shelter Wentworth Falls, initially identifying a possible artefact in the Nepean gravels thought to be 50,000 years old, which was claimed to be the oldest human occupation in the Blue Mountains. https://citydesert.wordpress.com/2013/12/22/fr-eugene-stockton-hermit-in-the-blue-mountains/
Michael Whelan Michael Whelan is a Marist priest of the Australian Province, ordained in 1972. After four and a half years of high school teaching in Burnie, Tasmania (1973-May 1977) he gained his MA from Duquesne University, Pittsburgh. He lectured at the Catholic Theological Union and Aquinas Academy in Sydney from May 1979 to May 1981. He gained his PhD from Duquesne University in 1984, specializing in the study of spirituality. From 1984 to 1995 he was Head of the Spirituality Department of the Union Theological Institute in Sydney and was Principal of the Catholic Theological Union from 1989 to 1994. He was President of the Sydney College of Divinity, 1989-1990. During these years Michael was also involved with the formation of Marist students. He is currently Director of the Aquinas Academy, Executive Director of Catalyst for Renewal (of which he is also a founding member (1994)), he edits the Catalyst journal, The Mix and is co-founder of Spirituality in the Pub (1996). Michael has published a number of articles in the field of spirituality. He is also the author of four books: The Call to Be (1986/2000), Living Strings: An Introduction to Biblical Spirituality (1994), Without God All Things are Lawful (1995) and A Friendly Guide to Prayer (2012). Michael also edited the eight Jubilee Lectures, published by the Society of St Paul in 2006. http://aquinas-academy.com/about-us/staff

Aunty Joan Collection: Aunty Joan Collection

THE AUNTY JOAN COLLECTION