Initial response Close study Significance Informed reaction

Introductory activities

Sensitivity warning

Discussing racism, incarceration, poverty, LGBTQIA+ experiences, and identity issues may bring up sensitive matters for students in your class. If appropriate, consider having a school youth worker (or someone in a similar role) partake in some of these introductory lessons. Remind students of the services they can access, both at school and in the wider community, if these topics bring up anything for them; you might display a poster with this information in the classroom while you study this unit. Offer debriefing opportunities (e.g. a lunch break when you are available) and allow students time to reflect in a journal, which they can keep privately OR share with you as they see fit. For more guidance, see Nirvana Watkins’ Safely In and Safely Out Protocols for Reading Australia’s unit of work on The Drover’s Wife (Introductory Activities).

Note that there are references to underage drinking throughout the book, and short scenes involving marijuana (pp. 51–53, 68–9). Swearing is also prevalent; this will be discussed under Close Study > The Writer’s Craft > Language and Style. If the book is appropriate for your school context, it is important to ensure that these behaviours are understood as the author’s attempt to depict teenagers in general, NOT to imply that Aboriginal people engage in these activities as part of their culture or personal qualities. Listen for and correct any stereotyping that may occur as a result of misreading the text.

What is identity?

Introduce themes around Aboriginality, racism and the concept of identity through a yarning circle, focusing on actor and writer Steven Oliver’s spoken word poem ‘Real’ (performed at the 2015 NAIDOC Awards). In this performance, Oliver – a descendant of the Kuku-Yalanji, Waanyi, Gangalidda, Woppaburra, Bundjalung and Biripi peoples – explores how it feels when people question or clarify his Aboriginality based on their own stereotypes and misconceptions (e.g. appearing ‘too fair skinned’ to be Aboriginal). See the yarning circle lesson plan (PDF, 120KB) for guidance with this activity. Your discussion can be used as a jumping-off point to explore the following questions:

  • What does ‘identity’ mean?
  • Why is identity so personal and so important to one’s wellbeing and purpose in life?
  • How is identity shaped by family, community, and where you live?
  • What is the impact when someone’s identity is disrespected, questioned or ridiculed?

For further reading, see the following Common Ground articles:

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Language and terminology

Gary Lonesborough uses terms that will be familiar to most First Nations people, many of whom call themselves and each other ‘black’ or ‘blackfellas’ and refer to Anglo-Australians as ‘white’ or ‘whitefellas’. These terms are not seen as racist or derogatory in the context of the book, when applied by the Aboriginal characters to themselves. However, they would not normally be used by Anglo-Australians in general conversation, and – if used in the wrong context – they may offend.

Connection to Country

Lonesborough is a Yuin man from Bega, NSW. Refer to the AIATSIS and/or Gambay maps to explore Yuin country. Remember that knowledge of traditional boundaries and languages was interrupted and corrupted by colonisation, and is now being reconstructed, so errors and inconsistencies may emerge when exploring this topic.

Introduce students to the idea that ‘Country’ is part of identity for many First Nations people. The following resources may be useful:

Where possible, invite a local custodian to discuss their connection to Country and concepts of land, preferably via excursion rather than incursion. Reach out to your school’s Aboriginal education officer and/or parent group, local land council, local elders, or local First Nations rangers (your state’s Environment and Heritage office or similar may be able to assist).

Discuss the concept of Country:

  • How is this concept of land and ownership different from European concepts?
  • What would be the impact of moving First Nations people away from their birthplace and family land?
  • In what way is a connection to Country a source of strength and wellbeing?

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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures: background knowledge

It is recommended that you invite local First Nations people into your school to offer their knowledge and understanding about some important concepts. Explain that you are preparing students to read a book by an Aboriginal author from Yuin country, and outline some of the main ideas (see below) that they will need to understand to get the most out of the novel. If this is not possible, explain and discuss the following information with your class and have them complete the mini research project underneath.

The title of this text is a play on words, with roots in experiences of colonisation, that will be commonly understood by First Nations people. The ‘mish’, short for ‘mission’, has been experienced in different stages of colonisation as:

  1. Missions and reserves set up by governments (with church authorities, in many instances) during the ‘protection’ era. First Nations people were moved off their land and onto controlled settlements, ostensibly to ‘protect’ them from frontier violence, but also to educate and ‘Christianise’ or ‘save’ them. The missions generally banned First Nations languages and cultural practices and introduced new foods, disconnecting people from their family, land, culture, and way of life with a view to making them more like white Australians.
  2. Housing commission settlements for First Nations people who have been made dependent on the government, after generations of being kept on missions separated from their family, land, culture, and way of life.
  3. Private land. In cases where land ownership is returned to an Aboriginal community, the ‘mission’ becomes their privately owned land and anyone outside that community requires a permit to enter. On the one hand, this represents a more empowered experience; on the other hand, it often means that the government – once a part of every aspect of life – withdraws all services and support, so that the community lives with less infrastructure than even the smallest Australian villages. Bronwyn Adcock’s excellent article ‘The Dispossessed’ describes one such community on the NSW South Coast (Wallaga Lake, in Yuin country). The full article is available from Griffith Review, but you can read an extract on Adcock’s website.

In groups, students can research/recap their knowledge of the different eras of colonisation and how they impacted First Nations people. Working With Indigenous Australians, a Muswellbrook Shire Council website developed with a local Aboriginal advisory board, outlines the following eras with clear and accessible information on each:

  • Protection
  • Assimilation
  • Integration
  • Reconciliation

You could set up a visual timeline and invite each group to add a summary of their research; this can be an anchor point for your study as you unpack the novel’s themes.

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Over-policing

A flow-on effect from the early days of government-controlled missions and reserves, as well as the removal of children, is the ongoing issue of First Nations people’s interactions with the criminal justice system – particularly how this impacts First Nations youth.

Read Jarrod Hughes’ 2020 IndigenousX article, ‘To achieve racial justice, we must self-determine meaningfully’. Highlight and discuss the following questions with your class:

  • What is the United Nations’ definition of self-determination? How can you see that it would lead to reduced crime?
  • What does it mean to say that self-determination would increase the legitimacy of the justice system for Indigenous people?
  • How would self-determination correct the ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach and meet local community needs more directly (e.g. community-led justice, specific to local context)?
  • What have been some unintended consequences of the Victorian bail system? How might First Nations consultation on laws have helped to avoid this?

Together, investigate some Indigenous-led justice programs such as the Maranguka Justice Reinvestment Project in Bourke, NSW. Refer to p. 6 of the 2018 impact assessment report, which recorded for the previous calendar year:

  • a 23% reduction in police-recorded domestic violence
  • a 31% increase in Year 12 retention
  • a 38% reduction in charges across the top five juvenile offence categories
  • a 14% reduction in bail breaches
  • a 42% reduction in days spent in custody
  • an economic impact of $3.1 million in reduced justice system expenditure and increased productivity/economic development in the community (compared to the cost of program, which was just $0.6 million)

Discuss with students:

If both the economic and social impacts of an Indigenous-led justice program can be so significant, why wouldn’t more governments and local councils take this approach?

Read Dylan Voller’s NITV opinion piece, ‘I don’t want to just be known as the boy in a restraint chair’. Voller made headlines in 2016 when the ABC’s Four Corners program exposed the treatment of children in juvenile detention in the NT. This led to a Royal Commission into the failings of the child protection and youth detention systems.

Voller’s opinion piece was published in 2021; he was back in headlines in 2022 after being arrested for several crimes. Impress upon students that the purpose of looking at Voller’s experiences is NOT to pass judgement, but to consider the links between intergenerational trauma and the criminal justice system.

Discuss what might have made a difference in Voller’s life. Consider his suggestion that authorities sit down and talk with families or individuals in distress, to address the issues that may be contributing to their behaviour. What is the ongoing trauma or intergenerational trauma caused by current government policies?

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LGBTQIA+ experiences

Research suggests that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who also identify as LGBTQIA+ have a complex and multi-layered experience of discrimination, referred to as intersectionality (see Todd Fernando’s 2022 Pursuit article, ‘Embracing Queer Indigenous Australia’, and this summary by the Australian Human Rights Commission). Not only do they face racism in the broader community, they also face discrimination within LGBTQIA+ communities and dating forums. They can sometimes find it difficult to maintain connections to their family and cultural groups if they do not feel that they have a place in these contexts. For example, traditional First Nations ceremonies and cultural traditions are often divided into men and women’s business. However, there is a history of diverse sexual and gendered identities being accepted in some First Nations communities, such as the Tiwi Island sistagirls (see also Rangi Hirini’s 2021 West Australian article, ‘Blak Pride and Australia’s Indigenous LGBTQI+ icons’).

Discuss these ideas as they relate to the following case studies, which present two LGBTQIA+ First Nations people (including the author of The Boy from the Mish) and their lived experiences of coming out:

After viewing/reading these case studies, discuss the complexities that arose for both Taz and Lonesborough in coming out as LGBTQIA+.

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Personal response on reading the text

Consider your class context when deciding on your approach to the novel. Guided reading for the first few chapters is a good way to engage students and set them up to read and interpret the text effectively. You may decide to continue with guided reading for the rest of the text, OR allow students to read at their own pace, setting guidelines for the number of chapters they should read each week (based on your school and class timelines).

Pause for discussion and analysis at set times, utilising the following strategies along the way.

Double-entry journal

Have students set up a double-entry journal before reading the novel, ensuring that you set aside time to add to it throughout the unit. They can rule a notebook page in half OR create a two-column table electronically. In the lefthand column they will record key events and quotes from the book; in the right-hand column they will write:

  • questions
  • thoughts
  • personal responses and connections to their own experience
  • identification with characters and situations

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Key quotes grid

Guide students to look specifically for quotes and events that reflect the themes of the text. Identify key sections for students to add to their journals and discuss in class; you can find a selection in the key quotes grid (PDF, 105KB).

Throughout the unit, pause and provide time for students to add more significant quotes to the grid and/or their journals. Depending on your class context, you may need to provide additional guidance or complete the activity together as a class.

Outline of key elements of the text

Plot

Several plot points are worth discussing in terms of character development; identity and belonging; and the themes of over-policing and Indigenous disadvantage:

  • The development of Jackson and Tomas’ relationship:
    • first flirtation and first kiss, pp. 104–107
    • trying the relationship out, p. 158
    • discussing when they realised they had feelings for each other, pp. 167–169
    • discussing when they knew they were gay, pp. 182–183
    • affirming their relationship, p. 270
  • The role of the men’s group and Uncles in connecting the boys to Country (pp. 100–102). This helps Tomas heal and realign himself to his values after being involved in the youth justice system.
  • The superhero that Tomas and Jackson create (pp. 207–211). The strength and courage of their superhero helps them to face their identity and be comfortable with who they are.
  • Interaction with the youth justice system (Chapters 13–14 and p. 170).
  • Interaction with school, and the value of education in making a difference to First Nations lives (p. 5, p. 18, pp. 255–261).
  • The story of Jackon’s Mum and Aunty Pam’s painting (pp. 237–238 and earlier interludes). The painting is finished as the other storylines resolve; to some extent, it aligns with Jackson’s story in the sense of ‘coming of age’.
  • Jackson and Tomas’ day on the mountain (Chapter 21) is a key plot point. The boys become more comfortable with themselves and their relationship, and are clearer about what they want (i.e. they are not ready for sex). Their feeling that life is ‘perfect’ is in stark contrast to the confrontation with Jarny back in the Mish. Jackson is angry and hurt by Jarny’s reaction to him, but no longer tries to hide or deny who he is.

Ask students to choose TWO of these plot points and write a paragraph explaining their importance to the story, as well as any connections to themes. They might consider how characters react in certain scenarios, and what that reveals about them. Students may suggest other significant plot points as well.

Male characters

The Boy from the Mish centres around a group of Aboriginal boys and their interactions with other boys around town, including:

The Aboriginal boys
  • Jackson – the protagonist, a 17-year-old living in the Mish
  • Tomas – an Aboriginal boy, recently released from juvenile detention and fostered by Aunty Pam, who becomes Jackson’s love interest
  • Kalyn – Jackson’s cousin
  • Jarny – Jackson and Kalyn’s friend
The non-Aboriginal boys
  • Troy – friendly, a bit ignorant and ‘bogan’ (p. 29, 39), but an ally
  • Ethan – a local racist ‘redneck’ (p. 5)
  • Levi – a camper visiting from Sydney

Students can collect and reflect on key quotes for each of these characters. Remind them that, although they will read offensive terms as part of the novel’s characterisation, they are NOT to repeat or use those terms in class discussions or any contexts outside of class. Students might like to use a table for this exercise; an example has been provided below.

Character Key quote(s) What this shows
Troy p. 39 – Troy’s brief exchange with the boys at the races

pp. 184–185 – Troy’s expression of support after Jackson explains a racial slur

 Troy is perhaps a little small-minded and uncouth, as seen in the way he uses offensive terms. But it seems like his boisterous, rude behaviour and ‘forced’ accent is a bit of an act that he puts on to impress people and make friends. The fact that he accepts Jackson’s explanation about a term that is offensive to Aboriginal people, and declares that he would back him up against other white kids, makes him somewhat of an ally. This suggests that he is a nice person who genuinely likes Jackson.

Once students have finished collecting key quotes, they can answer the following questions in relation to TWO characters:

  1. Summarise the character’s key characteristics.
  2. What are the character’s motivations? How do you know?
  3. Does the character change or develop over the course of the novel in response to events? Find evidence.
  4. How does Lonesborough present the character in terms of their relationships throughout the novel?

It is also worth considering the paternal figures in the novel. Tomas describes his father as neglectful and uninterested; Jackson supposes his own father, a violent alcoholic, would have little tolerance for a gay son (p. 172). Similar stories and explorations of father-son relationships can be found in Tony Birch’s short story collection, Father’s Day.

Compare these depictions of fathers to that of the uncles in the text. The men’s group is powerful and significant, especially for Jackson as he searches for acceptance (as with Uncle Charlie, pp. 247–249). The group helps Jackson come to terms with his identity and also helps ground Tomas. It demonstrates the positive influence of cultural leadership by older men for younger men, of which art and storytelling play a key role. Discuss how important these uncles are in shaping community and keeping culture alive.

Female characters

The girls in the story are largely peripheral, almost like silent witnesses to the boys’ lives. They are simply there for fun – people to drink with, dance with, and have sex with (in Kalyn’s case, at least, as Jackson observes on pp. 4 and 6). The girls seem to enjoy their role and are not passive: Tesha initiates sex with Jackson and doesn’t want to date him without it; Abby and the other girls are often seen ‘dragging’ boys onto the dance floor. But we don’t learn much else about them. They don’t say a lot and we don’t learn their thoughts, so they remain quite two-dimensional.

Discuss why Lonesborough has represented the young female characters in this way – what is the effect of the girls remaining silent and peripheral? Would the novel be as effective in exploring Jackson’s journey if they had larger roles? Students could find evidence of where the girls are constructed at the story’s margins.

Contrast the young female characters with the matriarchal figures of Mum and Aunty Pam. They are strong authority figures who have great influence over the boys’ lives, attitudes, goals and dreams. Consider the differences in how these older women are represented compared to the girls.

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Synthesising task/activity

Facilitate a discussion to draw out students’ reflections/initial responses to the text using the yarning circle methodology (PDF, 105KB).

Appoint a scribe to take notes throughout the discussion, jotting some dot points on butcher’s paper OR a shared electronic document (such as OneNote). After the yarning circle, students can reflect on these dot points and write their own summary of their reading of the text. The following guiding question may be useful:

The blurb on the back cover reads: ‘Compelling, honest and stunningly written, The Boy from the Mish is about first love, identity, and the superpower of self-belief.’ Discuss the extent to which you agree with this statement, using examples from the text.

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The writer’s craft

Setting

In an interview for the CBCA Sun Project: Shadow Judging program, Lonesborough discusses the importance of the setting in his text. Play the interview for students (0:00–0:50), focusing on Lonesborough’s comments about the environment being a character in and of itself.

Students can consider the setting as its own character through a group activity. Divide the class into six groups and assign each one a different part of the setting:

  1. the community in the Mish and the local town
  2. the bush
  3. the beach
  4. the lake
  5. the camping grounds (consider how this is a place where people from all races, backgrounds and walks of life gather)
  6. Jackson’s house (consider how this is empty and quiet before Christmas [p. 9], then overflows with kids once Aunty Pam arrives; in many Aboriginal homes there is no such thing as ‘too crowded’, and it is expected that everyone will cram in and accommodate each other)

Each group will create an annotated map that shows the layout/features of their assigned place, as well as dot points summarising its description and role in the story. Guiding questions for this exercise include:

  • How is the place described? Collect quotes.
  • What is its role in the story?
  • What is its relationship to the characters?
  • How does it shape the way the characters grow up?

Once everyone has shared and discussed the annotated maps, introduce students to Tony Birch, another Aboriginal author known for his writing of place. Speaking to Writers Victoria in 2014 (‘Indigenous Places with Tony Birch’), Birch notes that First Nations storytelling has traditionally been done in relation to geographical spaces, as a way of mapping Country and passing on knowledge. He cautions against ‘romanticised’ notions of connection to Country, which dismiss or downplay the connection as quaint, folkloric or mythological. Instead he encourages people to understand the connection to Country intellectually, by conducting researching and listening to experts.

The urban landscapes of Melbourne, as well as the spiritual landscape of the Yarra River (Birrarung), feature prominently in Birch’s narratives. He shares that, although he has learned more of the traditional knowledge about the local land and river over time, his initial connection to place was the industrial housing commission area of Fitzroy where he grew up. He points out that people’s connection to place can be grand and ‘spiritual’, gritty and visceral, or anywhere in between; his advice is to love the place you grew up, as you experienced it.

Reflecting on previous learning about Connection to Country (Initial Response > Introductory Activities), discuss the following with students:

  • Do all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience connection to Country in the same way? What differences and diversity might there be among and within groups? Consider Birch’s reflections on growing up in the city, and Tomas’ experience of Sydney in The Boy from the Mish. Further examples could be found in Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia, edited by Anita Heiss.
  • What does Birch’s perspective add to our understanding of connection to place?

Connection to Country – in the sense of knowledge and tradition being passed through generations – may be specifically understood by First Nations people. However, it is possible for anyone in the broader community to have an understanding of/connection to place, regardless of their background. Discuss how all Australians can feel a connection to place in a general sense; perhaps ask students to share stories about places that hold memories or special meaning for them.

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Voice

In some literary circles, The Boy from the Mish may be considered an #OwnVoices novel. This term was coined in 2015 by Dutch writer Corinne Duyvis to celebrate books whose author and protagonist(s) share a marginalised identity, so that their voices might be centred.

More recently, promoters of diverse literature have rejected the #OwnVoices label because they think it lumps all ‘diverse’ people into one category without being specific about their identity (e.g. as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, or the autism community). They instead recommend using the specific identity that the author expresses about themselves and their characters.

Nevertheless, the emergence of #OwnVoices has brought up some questions that are worth considering. Discuss these in connection to The Boy from the Mish:

  • How important is it for minority and marginalised groups to be represented in fiction by writers from those same groups?
  • Can writers ethically create characters who have different backgrounds to themselves? Where does creative freedom end and cultural appropriation/misrepresentation begin?
  • What are the advantages of having an author from a marginalised group write about their experiences, even if via a fictional character?

Scribe the discussion on butcher’s paper or a shared electronic document. Afterwards, have students write their own responses to the above questions, drawing on the perspectives shared in class.

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Language and style

Writing for Sydney Review of Books in 2021 (‘The Power of Seeing Yourself on the Page’), Wiradjuri writer, poet and academic Jeanine Leane notes Lonesborough’s ability to capture the ‘uncensored banter’ of teens. The narrative is written in colloquial style, with lots of contractions (‘dunno’, ‘wanna’, ‘gotta’), swear words and sarcastic jokes peppering the young people’s dialogue (see Jackson and Kalyn’s remarks about Constable Rogers on p. 2).

Leane also discusses S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders, a novel that many consider to be the genesis of YA literature. Lonesborough has acknowledged its influence on him as a story written in the moment, of its time, and from an insider’s perspective; Leane feels similarly about The Boy From the Mish as an authentic representation of queer and First Nations experiences.

Discuss how students read the language and style of the text: does it resonate with them? Does it seem like an authentic representation of how teenagers communicate? What is realistic (or not) about the way language is used? Find evidence from the text.

Also discuss the function of sarcasm and humour; these generally diffuse tension and add warmth and humanity to the voices in the story.

For a discussion on the use of Aboriginal English, see Sharon Davis’ 2022 IndigenousX article ‘Aboriginal English – what isn’t it?’.

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Descriptive language

Refer to the Setting exercise in which students collected/discussed key quotes and descriptive language about different places in the novel. Build on this with a close study of the scene in which Jackson and Tomas enter the old racecourse building (pp. 175–176).

Have students focus on the first page of this scene (p. 175). They can highlight and annotate the text, noting descriptive language and techniques such as:

  • Imagery (the willow branches and dragonflies)
  • Personification (the island ‘resting’, the trees ‘stretching’, the sun ‘peeking’)
  • Repetition (the word ‘buzz)

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Text and meaning

Themes

Refer to the key quotes collected in the Initial Response section (Personal Response on Reading the Text > Key Quotes Grid). Students can choose TWO of the key themes and write a paragraph or two about each one. They should outline how that theme is presented in the novel and why it is central to the readers’ understanding of the text, using evidence to illustrate their point.

Purpose

Lonesborough has said that if books like The Boy from the Mish were available when he was growing up, he would have read more. Similarly, writer and broadcaster Benjamin Law has stated that the book would have changed his life if he had read it as a teen (see his testimonial on the front cover). As explored under Voice, Lonesborough’s central purpose in writing The Boy from the Mish was to create a book that Aboriginal teens exploring their sexuality would be able to identify with and gain support from.

Students can review key sections of the novel and write a brief evaluation of how those events, and the characters’ responses to them, may have a positive impact on future readers within minority groups (keeping in mind the previous discussion about #OwnVoices texts). Focus on the following:

  • The racist incident and ensuing fight between Jackson and Ethan, and the subsequent police action (pp. 142–3, 155–156)
  • Tomas learning how culture can strengthen him and help him choose a better path in life (pp. 100–101)
  • Jackson and Tomas first attempting sex, and discussing their respective realisations about liking boys (pp. 181–183).
  • The revelation that Jarny and Kalyn have discovered Jackson’s secret, and the ensuing discussion with Kalyn (pp. 199–205, 216–220)
  • Jarny and Jackson’s fight (pp. 230–231)
  • Jarny apologising and (with Kalyn) affirming his support for Jackson (pp. 241–244)
  • Jackson and Tomas affirming their relationship (pp. 269–271)

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Synthesising task/activity

Text transformation

Read the scene in Chapter 15 when Jackson and Tomas ride from the main street of the Mish (bottom of p. 162) to the footy fields (halfway down p. 163). Using this passage as inspiration, students will write a short story about characters going on their own adventure in a different setting.

Maintain the following concepts:

  • The main character forgetting their worries and feeling like a kid again
  • Connecting to old places from childhood

Students should include descriptive and figurative language to demonstrate their narrative writing skills. They may wish to draw upon their own memories/childhood places and establish their personal voice within the text (if appropriate/desired).

The main objective is to demonstrate, in narrative form, the importance of place and how it can provide strength and comfort, as well as reaffirm identity and belonging.

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Ways of reading the text

Queer theory challenges the notion of defining sexuality in binary terms; questions the link between sex and gender; and views the classification of sexuality as a political tool that reinforces power structures. Philosopher Judith Butler’s work is considered seminal in this area, and is explored by April S. Callis in her 2009 article ‘Playing with Butler and Foucault: Bisexuality and Queer Theory’.

Below are some questions that you might like to discuss in class. Enlist the help of a school youth worker or local youth work service to ensure that this is handled sensitively and appropriately. Be guided by students and remind them of your school’s inclusivity and anti-discrimination policies. If a discussion does not feel appropriate for your class context, you could skip it OR invite students to respond to the questions in their personal reading journals instead:

  • Consider how you respond to the definition of Jackson as ‘gay’ – does this term still feel relevant?
    • Compare this to a term like ‘queer’, which is related but still distinct (and has a complicated history of usage).
  • Do contemporary teenagers define themselves in binary terms (gay or straight)?
  • How are LGBTQIA+ discourses represented in social media texts aimed at today’s teens?

You can also consult the following resources for teachers:

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Comparison with other texts

On p. 254, Jackson and Tomas talk about a new (in the timeline of the novel) television series called Cleverman (2016–2017). They joke that the show beat them to the punch by featuring an Aboriginal superhero, like they had planned to do with their graphic novel.

Like Lonesborough, Cleverman’s creator Ryan Griffen also wanted to write his identity into popular culture, so he created an Aboriginal superhero for his son to admire. The supernatural elements of the show draw on stories about creatures like the Doolagah; Jackson recounts one such tale on pp. 74–76. These stories are traditionally told in Aboriginal communities to teach children lore, as well as to encourage them to avoid danger in the bush. Note that different cultural groups will tell their own stories, and the creatures in these stories may be similar or different to one another.

The following resources may be useful for exploring Cleverman:

Other television series that consider contemporary Aboriginal identity include The Gods of Wheat Street (2013–2014) and Redfern Now (2012–2013). In particular, Episode 4 of Redfern Now – in which a sixteen-year-old boy is expelled from an elite private school for refusing to stand for the national anthem – can inspire rich discussion about the experience of school and nationalism for Aboriginal people.

Some coming of age novels by First Nations authors include:

* Reading Australia resource available

First Nations poetry and short story collections connecting with themes in The Boy from the Mish include:

* Reading Australia resource available

Evaluation of the text as representative of Australian culture

Students can write a short discussion essay (one to two pages, at least TWO sources) on the extent to which The Boy from the Mish is representative of Australian culture.

Below are some key topics or prompts that students might like to consider:

  • Racism and segregation are very much alive in Australia, as depicted in the separation between the white townspeople and the Aboriginal community in the Mish.
  • Over-policing and overrepresentation of First Nations people (particularly children) in the criminal justice system are enduring problems in Australia.
  • The LGBTQIA+ community faces ongoing discrimination, making it challenging and unsafe for young people to ‘come out’.
  • Do the ‘bogan’ and ‘redneck’ characters represent our modern nation, or are they outdated stereotypes?
  • Women remain marginal in civic life, with limited representation and roles in Australian society.

You might like to select key responses and share them anonymously with the class to spark discussion and debate.

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NOTE: The following discussion will need to be handled with care to avoid simplistic stereotyping, but is well worth having – particularly with an extension class.

Lonesborough clearly sets out his purpose to write for and about himself and people like him. This means that he is writing to a young Aboriginal audience; young men exploring their sexuality; and Aboriginal people living in rural settings.

Discuss Lonesborough’s choice to depict the ‘bogan’ character of Troy and the ‘redneck’ character of Ethan, as well as the bully police officers who lord over the local Aboriginal kids (see pp. 2, 149–150):

  • In what ways do the relationships between the black and white residents support the themes of the text?
  • Is Lonesborough deliberately trying to confront non-Indigenous Australians by depicting the realities of life in the Mish? Or is he able to achieve such honesty and candour because he is writing to an Aboriginal audience first?
  • How might a non-Indigenous reader interact with this text? How can reading Jackson’s story benefit them?

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Significance in the world of texts

The Boy from the Mish has received many awards and accolades since its publication, including:

  • Winner, IBBY Australia Ena Noël Award (2022)
  • Winner, Favourite Australian Debut Book, Booktopia FAB Awards (2021)
  • Selected, White Raven, International Youth Library, Children’s and Youth Literature (2022)
  • Highly Commended, Book of the Year for Older Children, Australian Book Industry Awards (2022)
  • Shortlisted, Best Designed Young Adult Cover, Australian Book Design Awards (2022)
  • Shortlisted, Book of the Year: Older Readers, CBCA Awards (2022)
  • Shortlisted, Young Adult Fiction Award, Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature (2022)
  • Shortlisted, Young Adult Book of the Year, Indie Book Awards (2022)
  • Shortlisted, Indigenous Writing Prize, Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards (2022)
  • Shortlisted, Griffith University Young Adult Book Award, Queensland Literary Awards (2021)
  • Shortlisted, Readings Young Adult Book Prize (2021)
  • Shortlisted, Indigenous Writers’ Prize, NSW Premier’s Literary Awards (2022)

Rich assessment task

Building on previous discussions around Voice (Close Study > The Writers Craft), as well as Lonesborough and Ryan Griffen’s purpose in writing their identities into popular culture, students should produce a piece of writing in the style of a Guardian article about the importance of publishing more diverse authors who represent minority groups’ experiences and perspectives.

Revisit the discussion questions about Voice and encourage students to review their personal notes from that lesson. You could also point them towards Lonesborough and Griffen’s Guardian articles for inspiration for their writing.

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Synthesise core ideas

Employ Nirvana Watkins’ Safely Out Protocols (see Initial Response > Introductory Activities) as you help students synthesise their responses to this unit.

Encourage students to reflect on what they have learnt about First Nations cultures and experiences of the world; diversity; LGBTQIA+ perspectives; and the role of diverse voices in Australian literature. You could facilitate a class discussion, perhaps through a final yarning circle (PDF, 87KB), OR invite them to respond by journal writing.

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Rich assessment tasks

1. Productive mode

Music features heavily as part of the boys’ ‘party’ lifestyle in the book, with references to artists like Biggie Smalls and Drake. More broadly, rap and hip-hop have become synonymous with protest, especially protest by minority Indigenous and Black groups seeking a voice and self-determination. For an excellent discussion of the role of rap and hip-hop in Indigenous protest and truth-telling, see Suzi Hutching’s 2020 Overland article, ‘Indigenous hip-hop speaking truth to power’.

For this task, students will:

  1. Create a playlist (e.g. Spotify) that reflects the major events and emotional responses of the characters in The Boy from the Mish. The playlist must include a minimum of SIX songs.
  2. Complete a presentation (e.g. PowerPoint, Keynote, Prezi) with classroom-appropriate images and links to each song.

Students must also submit a 500-word rationale to justify their creative decisions (i.e. explain how their songs match the mood in different parts of the novel, outline key lyrics that link to the events/characters, explain why certain images were selected for the presentation).

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2. Receptive mode

The analytical essay is the most common type of response that students are asked to complete in Senior Secondary curricula; it is therefore frequently practised in Year 10 courses. The following questions ask students to respond to the novel as a single text, but you could also include questions that ask for a comparative essay incorporating texts from the Significance section.

  1. The Boy from the Mish reinforces the importance of storytelling and extended family in First Nations cultures. Discuss.
  2. Jackson and Tomas’ relationship provides an important guide for other young people who identify as LGBTQIA+ to follow while exploring their sexuality. Discuss.
  3. The novel illustrates how connection to Country provides Aboriginal people with the strength to face whatever challenges they come up against. Discuss.
  4. Lonesborough demonstrates that racism and segregation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people persist in our communities. Discuss.
  5. Lonesborough’s novel highlights that it is essential to represent the perspectives of minority groups in Australia by publishing diverse authors. Do you agree?
  6. How do the descriptions of place in The Boy from the Mish add to the reader’s understanding that Aboriginal peoples’ identity can be connected to their Country?
  7. The non-Indigenous and female characters in the novel are two-dimensional and stereotypical. To what extent do you agree?

The analytical essay must:

  • discuss literary techniques as well as themes
  • be 800–1,000 words in length
  • cite critical sources and use appropriate referencing conventions

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