Barbara Shaw

Kaytetye, Arrernte, Warlpiri and Warumungu, Northern Territory

AFTER INTERVIEWING Barbara Shaw, all I can think about is her crew, the women of the Tangentyere Women’s Family Safety Group; the warm welcome they gave me, their strength and their solidarity.

The first time I visited them, Barbara and I told the group about where the Uluru Statement from the Heart came from and what it called for. We talked about what it could mean to the women’s communities. The next time, I updated them on the Uluru Statement campaign, then we had a great discussion about what a referendum is and how difficult it may be to win. Before Barbara and I left to find a quiet space to talk, Shirleen Campbell, a young co­ coordinator for the group, who exuded courage and strength, made a fist and said, “We need to be strong and united, and we can win this! You can count on us here!”

These inspiring women are strong leaders in a community that has felt the worst of failed government policies. They are the people who have it harder than any other demographic in Australia – Aboriginal women living in a town camp in the Northern Territory. Barbara is a leader among them. She is a straight talker, with a cheeky sense of humour. She always speaks up, loud and clear, although her sharp style is softened with tender motherliness.

“My father is Kaytetye and Arrernte, and my mother is Warlpiri and Warumungu,” she tells me. “I live here in Alice Springs. I’m a fourth­generation town camper.” Barbara explains what an Alice Springs town camp is. “Way back when, before they even started building houses for Aboriginal people, we lived in tents in little pockets of dwellings on the outskirts of town. A lot of our camps that sit around Alice Springs were spread out, based on where the white fellas who needed labour were.”