Age range 7 to 10
Free Diving is a poignant tribute to the ‘blackbirding’ of Aboriginal men and women exploited by the pearling industry as ‘free divers’ in the late nineteenth century in Western Australia.
There were no protective suits and with every descent, divers faced the terrifying threat of the bends, shark attack or being shipwrecked in a cyclone. Under the control of indifferent European lugger owners, many men and women forced to dive for the valuable pearl shell lost their lives and never made it home to family. The fictionalised lyrical narrative is based on the celebrated song ‘Free Diving’ by singer–songwriter Lorrae Coffin. It sensitively reflects the emotional journey of a young man who leaves family and country to work on a lugger with Japanese and Malay divers by his side. Bronwyn Houston’s illustrations are a deep-sea celebration that illuminate both the glory of the ocean and the extreme dangers encountered by the free divers.
