Entertainment
3 October, 2026
Book on fishing culture
A CAIRNS-based Torres Strait Islander author has drawn on childhood memories of life with her grandmother on Mer to create a new picture book that celebrates culture, kinship and connection.
‘Meb Ata – Grandfather Moon’, written by Merwez Whaleboat (above) and illustrated by Sharon Phineasa, follows young Swana and her grandmother, Kaied, as they go night fishing on Mer (Murray Island) under the light of Grandfather Moon. The book will be released by Aboriginal Studies Press on 10 October.
Ms Whaleboat, who lives in Cairns and works in Cape York, said the story grew from the close relationship she had with her grandmother while growing up on the island.
“I guess the connection, the strong connection between myself and my grandmother, and being raised by her. I wanted that to be, I guess, evident throughout the book,” she said.
“The memories that I have in my younger years all revolve around her, really and that strong connection.”
Ms Whaleboat said Meb Ata explores connections to place, family, totems and kinship systems while introducing readers to aspects of Torres Strait Islander culture.
She said representation was particularly important because of the limited amount of literature available to Torres Strait Islander children.
“I think it’s really important, considering that there’s not a lot of literature out there for Torres Strait, you know, children,” she said.
“I just wanted to encourage a lot of our young people to write, and anyone who’s interested in writing literature, and to actually explore between using English and their own language.”
Ms Whaleboat said much of the book was written in Meriam Mir, her first language, helping to preserve both cultural knowledge and the language. The author is also a teacher, actor, poet and cultural adviser, with previous work including ‘RAN: Remote Area Nurse’ and Warwick Thornton’s ‘The Darkside’.
She credited Phineasa’s illustrations for bringing the story and culture to life.
“Anyone that will pick up the book will learn more about Torres Strait or Meriam culture as a whole.”
