A major new work of historical narrative, Sisters in Arms: Oodgeroo Noonuccal, Kathie Cochrane and the Battle for the 1967 Referendum, re-examines one of the most significant, and widely misunderstood, moments in Australian history: the decade-long campaign that led to the 1967 Referendum.
Written by Sarah Cochrane Ridout, granddaughter of Kathie Cochrane, lifelong friend and political ally of Oodgeroo Noonuccal, the book reconstructs the political, personal and emotional struggles behind the movement that helped reshape the nation.
Kathie Cochrane was the woman Oodgeroo entrusted with writing her biography, Oodgeroo, following the untimely death of Oodgeroo’s son, Vivian Walker, who had begun documenting his mother’s life himself. Sisters in Arms is the first book to include Vivian Walker’s draft biography material, bringing an important family and historical record into public view for the first time.
Set against the backdrop of the Cold War, racial inequality, state surveillance and the emergence of the United Nations era, Sisters in Arms reveals a sustained and closely monitored political movement rather than a single triumphant vote.
No character in Sisters in Arms is wholly fictional. Almost all events depicted occurred in documented form. Passages written in Oodgeroo’s voice are drawn directly from recorded interviews, speeches and primary sources. Where imagination enters, it does so transparently, informed by archival records, interviews, family testimony and redacted ASIO files.
The book has the full support of generations of both families. Oodgeroo’s grandson, Nunka Walker, created a skin chart tracing the multi-generational kinship ties between his grandmother and Kathie Cochrane, naming the author his “skin sister”, a powerful reflection of the enduring bond between the two families.
Blending rigorous historical research with literary storytelling, Sisters in Arms explores:
At a time when Australia continues to grapple with constitutional reform, truth-telling and historical accountability, 'Sisters in Arms' offers both a literary achievement and a deeply personal act of remembrance, a book created by grandchildren determined to preserve the legacy of their extraordinary grandparents for future generations.
Indigenous Themes, First Nations
Narrative Non-Fiction, Australian History, Biography, First Nations Activism and Allies, Female Activists, Female Friendship
About The Author
Sarah Cochrane Ridout’s first novel Le Chateau, was published after selection for the QWC/Hachette Australia Manuscript Development Program. A Katherine Susannah Prichard Fellow, Sarah has a First-Class Honours Masters in Creative Writing from University College Dublin (UCD). Her Creative Australia grant for Sisters in Arms included First Nations Cultural Sensitivity Report and editing by Barkindji woman Dr Allanah Hunt.
Sarah always wanted to write about her grandmother’s activism in the 1967 Referendum and lifelong friendship with Oodgeroo Noonuccal (Kath Walker).
Sarah has been writing throughout her public relations career, before commencing memoir and novel writing.
The complexities of the role of women interests her as do identity and place as signifiers, and the multiple effects of displacement on identity.
Sarah loves travel and the immersion into other cultures provided by her twelve years living in Europe. She enjoys reading, film, music (especially David Bowie), and is an artist and collector.
