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Exhibition reads

slq Gallery's latest exhibition, The unbroken spirit of the Kalkadoons, is a moving and significant exploration of Colleen Sam and her family's history across four generations in north Queensland. Take time to learn about the Kalkadoon people’s resilience, survival, and unwavering strength as well as the Sams' rich, ongoing artistic contributions. 

To mark this special exhibition, the Stories and Ideas team has put together some fiction and non-fiction titles featuring both Kalkadoon and non-Kalkadoon authors creating, teaching, reflecting on and celebrating their stories. 

Kalkadoon reads

Cover of Firelight by John Morrissey. The book is purple and black with three Aboriginal men from a Gordon Hookey painting on the cover.

Firelight
by John Morrissey
Text Publishing 

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Book cover of Unbranded: First Nations Classics

Unbranded
by Herb Wharton
University of Queensland Press

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GRAIL Reconciliation 2023 Growing up Aboriginal in Australia

Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia
edited by Anita Heiss
Black Inc. 

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Cover of Rift Breaker by Tristan Savage

Rift Breaker
Tristan Michael Savage
Magabala Press

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Cover of FORGOTTEN WAR by Henry Reynolds showing a black and white vintage painting of a frontier battle

Forgotten War
by Henry Reynolds
NewSouth Publishing 

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Cover of FINDING ELIZA by Larissa Behrendt showing one white and one Aboriginal woman facing away towards each other

Finding Eliza
by Larissa Behrendt
University of Queensland Press

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'Unbroken spirit' events

Colleen Sam in front of her artwork
Artist's tour: The unbroken spirit of the Kalkadoons
Join artist and Kalkadoon (Kalkadunga) knowledge holder Colleen Sam for an exclusive tour of her exhibition The unbroken spirit of the Kalkadoons.
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Wild Harry by Colleen Sam
Curator's tour: The unbroken spirit of the Kalkadoons
Join us for a guided curator’s tour of the powerful exhibition The unbroken spirit of the Kalkadoons in slq Gallery.
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Black Cockatoo Dreaming, Colleen Sam (Kalkadoon/Kalkadunga), 2021, acrylic on canvas.
Grades 4–6: The unbroken spirit of the Kalkadoons
We invite students in Grades 4–6 to join us for a special workshop exploring Colleen Sam's story.
Book now