Magabala is proud to announce that on Wednesday 24 March 2021, A Question of Colour by Pattie Lees and her son Adam C Lees was shortlisted in the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards for the Douglas Stewart Prize for Non-Fiction.

The memoir was shortlisted along with five other titles in the prestigious prize, with the winner being announced on Tuesday 27 April at the State Library of New South Wales.

A Question of Colour; my journey to belonging provides a first-hand account of Pattie’s experiences during Australia’s assimilationist policy era and recounts her survival following a decade of sexual, physical and emotional abuse as a Ward of the State. The book is a deeply moving and powerful testimony to the resilience of a young girl, her identity and her journey to belong.

Pattie Lees was born in Cairns, North Queensland. She is currently CEO of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation for Children and Youth Services.

Adam C Lees is her eldest son and he currently works as a Senior Corporate Affairs Manager for Woodside Energy. Raised in Mt Isa he is a member of Mer Gedkem Le (Torres Strait Islanders Corporation) Registered Native Title Body Corporate and the Cape York Land Council (CYLC).