The Wonder of Little Things by Vince Copley with Leah McInerny

Title: The Wonder of Little Things

Author: Vince Copley with Leah McInerney

Genre: Biography

Publisher: ABC Books

Published: 31^st January 2024

Format: Paperback

Pages: 288

Price: $22.99

Synopsis: A First Nations Elder shares his extraordinary story of finding kindness in the midst of prejudice, and joy in living life to the full.

Welcome to my story.

I didn’t learn a lot in school, not in the classroom, anyway. But I learned a lot from life.

‘Always remember you’re as good as anybody else,’ Vince’s mother, Kate, often told him. And he was, becoming a champion footballer and premiership-winning coach. But change was in the air, and Vince wanted to help make life better for his people too.

At every step, Vince found light in the darkness, the friendly face in the crowd, the small moments that make the world go round.

Welcome to the wonder of little things.

~*~

Every life is different, every experience is different, and we all respond to the way we are treated and the hand that life has dealt us, tragedy, loss, love, and everything in between in a different way. Prejudice is ugly, and it certainly was in the mid-20^th Century for many people, and still is. The Wonder of Little things is a memoir from an Aboriginal elder – Vince Copley (1936 – 2022), a proud Ngadjuri man who dedicated his life to devoting and enhancing Indigenous rights, and improving the lives of First Nations people, in between playing sport.

Vince’s story – the adult edition and the young reader’s edition being released today – have been published posthumously, and honour Vince and his message for equality and tolerance, and the way he looked for the kindness in the world while he worked to make the change he wanted to see in Australian society.

Vince’s life on the mission as a youngster, and moving around when his family were granted permission and permits, to life at St Francis Boys’ Home in Adelaide during his years at school shows the degrees of racism prevalent in society at the time, but also captures the faith he had in humanity – the kindness he looked for in those who stood by him like Father Smith, the Thomas family, and the people he worked with and played sports with in Curramulka amidst attitudes that are abhorrent. Vince’s story gives readers an insight into what life was like on missions and other places for Indigenous people around Australia in the 1930s -1970s (roughly the period this book covers) through one person’s story of these times and how they approached what they faced.

Vince’s voice flows off the page, weaving a story that reflects the oral storytelling tradition of Indigenous people in Australia with a raw and emotional sense that makes it feel like Vince is telling you the story face-to-face, as the words wash over you – knowing he is no longer with us doesn’t change this feeling, though knowing we can no longer talk to him is hard. Vince was one who found ways to use kindness to bridge the gap, in a way – to become part of a community that wanted him and where he felt at home, a part of something, after the many losses he suffered in his early life. He reflects on losing siblings and his mother, and having to find work earlier than he may have wanted to, and the realities that he faced as a young Aboriginal man looking for work and a place to live. Vince wasn’t shy about pointing out when things were racist, unequal, and the attitudes he faced – but he equally showed the support that the people he worked with, and his friends gave him. I think books and stories like this show that attitudes then were as varied as they are now. In focusing on the positives and using that to work towards a better future, I think Vince proved that he was ten times better than the people who discriminated against him.

Readers get a glimpse at a different side of Australian history too – an inside look into the missions, the effects of the Aborigine Protection Acts, and the ways the White Australia Policy affected people like Vince. At one point, he points out what it was meant for in terms of immigration when it was in place, and that the Indigenous Australians were caught in the net. It is at this point that he acknowledges the flaw in the policy: where would Indigenous Australians have been sent if they were deported? Of course, this never happened, but it still illustrates that laws like that were extremely flawed.

As I read, I loved Vince’s voice. I have never heard it, yet I imagined it as gentle and calm, even when he was matter of fact. His drive to work with organisations like NAIDOC and many other Aboriginal organisations to improve society was passionate, and he maintained connections with the St Francis boys, people at Curramulka and with people like Charlie Perkins, a good friend who helped him out with many things made his story powerful – especially as Vince saw the establishment of many of the organisations he worked with and the Aboriginal Tent Embassy.

It is Copley’s respect for those who treated him well, and his kindnesses throughout the book that made this a special and touching book to read, and also teaches readers things they may not have known about, through the eyes of someone who experienced it and saw many changes throughout his life. And the story of a man who always looked for the kindness in the world because that’s how he managed to get through it all. This is a powerful story that teaches us about Australian history, and one man’s experience of it.