Wadjularbinna grew up in in Doomadgee in the Gulf country of north Queensland . When Wadjularbinna was about four years old, her grandmother was forced to take Wadjularbinna's sister to be placed in Doomadgee reserve but when the missionaries saw Wadjularbinna's light skin they took her too. Being removed from her family was very traumatic and Wadjularbinna felt pulled between two cultures, beliefs and traditions. Her skin was lighter then her brothers and sisters but it was not until she was eight or nine that she found out her mother had been raped at gunpoint by a white stockman.
While at Doomadgee, Wadjularbinna was made to work outside of school hours. Because of her light skin, she worked at the hospital, in an office and as a cook at the superintendent's home. While working at the hospital, she would sneak the Indigenous healers in to see the sick from their community; if caught, she would be severely punished.
When Wadjularbinna was about eighteen, the superintendent, Mr Talbot, chose a white man for her to marry. Her mother protested but was told it was in Wadjularbinna's best interests. After she was married, she did not see her parents till after the 1967 referendum. It was not until 1984 that Wadjularbinna returned to her country. By this time she had been unhappily married for over 18 years and had four children.
Wadjularbinna became active in land rights claims and in protesting mining activities that have the potential to destroy traditional lands.
