Maralinga’s Long Shadow tells the story of Aṉangu elder Yvonne Edwards who experienced the dislocation from her traditional country to make way for the British atomic test program in South Australia. Her husband and two sons died of cancer when they were granted ‘salvage rights’ and sent to dismantle remaining structure at the Maralinga test site in the 1970s. This well-researched and original history interweaves the account of nuclear testing at Maralinga with Yvonne’s biography, community service and career as an artist. It tracks her experience of life on mission stations, her grief at being tricked into allowing her baby to be removed from her care, her marriage and family life, her reunion with her adult son, and how the introduction of alcohol began to destroy the Yalata community.

The books was published by Allen & Unwin in 2016 and is available at all good book shops. Visit the shop section of this website to order a copy online.