LOCAL LIFE
BLACKTOWN’ S FINEST...
Winnie Dunn’ s novel is the first Tongan Australian novel to be published in Australia. by John Macdonald
When people think of Blacktown and Mt Druitt, Islander names often bring to mind rugby league stars. From Tonga’ s Andrew Fifita and Michael Jennings in seasons past, to today’ s Jarome Luai, the list of Pacific talent in the NRL is long and celebrated.
But now a new name is carrying the pride of the community, this time not from the football field, but from the pages of literature. To borrow from legendary coach Jack Gibson,“ She’ s done good, wrote fine.” That name is Winnie Dunn. At just 28 years old, Dunn has become a trailblazer. The Tongan Australian writer, who grew up in Mt Druitt, has released her debut novel Dirt Poor Islanders( Hachette), a book that has quickly gathered national acclaim. It was shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Award, Australia’ s most prestigious literary honour and has firmly placed Dunn at the forefront of contemporary Australian writing.
“ Tongans are celebrated for their bodies,” Dunn once said, reflecting on how her people are often stereotyped. Through her writing, she offers a counter-narrative, one that explores intellect, creativity, and the complexity of identity.
Her novel has been widely praised. Acclaimed author Melissa Lucashenko described it as,“ a loving, yet challenging portrait of the Tongan Australian community.” Fellow novelist Shankari Chandran called it,“ ferocious and tender … I laughed and I cried and I could smell the food and picture the places. Powerful. Brilliant. A masterpiece.”
For Dunn, this recognition is more than personal success, it is a milestone for her community. Dirt Poor Islanders is the first Tongan Australian novel to be published in this country.
Dunn is the general manager of the Sweatshop Literacy Movement, a Western Sydney-based organisation that champions marginalised voices. She has edited acclaimed anthologies including Brownface( Cordite, 2018), Sweatshop Women( Sweatshop, 2019), Straight- Up Islander( SBS, 2020), and Another Australia( Affirm Press, 2022).
Her own debut novel has already claimed the 2025 Sydney Morning Herald Best Young Novelist Award and the Creative Australia Kathleen Mitchell Award. It has also been shortlisted for two NSW Premier’ s Literary Awards, in addition to the Miles Franklin.
Her achievements are all the more striking given her background. Dunn is the first in her family to finish high school with an ATAR, the first to attend university, and the first to publish a novel. Much of Dunn’ s drive comes from her experiences growing up in Western Sydney and encountering damaging representations of Pacific Islanders in Australian media.
“ I felt a great sense of duty and
6 ISSUE 54 // SEPTEMBER 2025 theindependentmagazine. com. au BLACKTOWN CITY INDEPENDENT