Robyn Kina: Strong Aboriginal Woman : a Lifer Redeemed

Dave Berry

Baker & Taylor, 2014 - Social Science - 280 pages

In possibly the shortest murder trial in Queensland history, in 1988, aboriginal woman Robyn Kina was convicted of the murder of her abusive de facto spouse and sentenced to life in prison. The whole process took less than 4 hours! This is Robyn's story, as related to Social Worker, Dave Berry, to whom she originally reached out for help whilst on remand. Behind the bars of Brisbane's infamous Boggo Road Gaol, Robyn embraced educational and other opportunities, and a self-confidence began to emerge along with a desire to help others languishing in desperate circumstances. Read how Robbie was sensationally released from prison after a media-generated Australia-wide outcry. Follow her steps as she built a productive happy life and went on to make an outstanding contribution to prison welfare work through the Sisters Inside organisation.

About the author

Dave Berry has been a social worker in Queensland, Australia for 33 years. His current practice is focused mainly on the ¬fields of family law and child protection. Prior to setting up private practice in 1987, Berry worked for the Queensland Department of Children's Services and the Prisons Department. It was shortly after leaving that he first met and befriended Robyn during her trial. Using her own words and those of her family, friends, and closest associates, Berry reveals the unexamined side of Robyn Kina - a woman who overcame her impoverished background and lived a simple life - and shows her heartening transformation into a public figure, bringing the study of Battered Women's Syndrome to the forefront of understanding domestic law, and fighting for the rights of indigenous Australians.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Robyn Kina: Strong Aboriginal Woman : a Lifer Redeemed
• Author: Dave Berry
• Editors: Soul Space Design, Soul Space Epublishing
• Publisher: Baker & Taylor, 2014
• ISBN: 1493601938, 9781493601936
• Length: 280 pages
• Subjects: Social Science / Discrimination