an extraordinary man, an unforgettable story

About Banjo Clarke

Banjo (Henry) Clarke was born around 1922 on Framlingham Aboriginal mission, located near Warrnambool in South-Western Victoria, Australia.

During the depression Banjo moved to Melbourne with his family to look for work.

Having very little formal education, Banjo learned about life from the Elders at Framlingham and from other Aboriginal people he befriended around Fitzroy in Melbourne. At fourteen he got work at a sawmill in Tynong North where the proprietor’s daughter taught him how to read and write.

Banjo said about the discrimination he experienced:

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“An amazing and touching book – I could relate to all the Aboriginal beliefs.  I felt like I had met him and his kids at the end of the book.  It brought me to tears, really.
Now Banjo lives more than ever through this publication even after his death.”
 

Nadema Agard, New York City, Native America artist/writer and author of Southeastern Native Arts Directory

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