ContributorCommunity HistoryLast nameJohnsonFirst nameLouis St. JohnPrevious nameWarren BraedenBiography
Warren Braedon, named by his adoptive parents Louis St John Johnson, was taken from his mother in Alice Springs, Northern Territory, at just three months old. Louis's adoptive parents, Bill and Pauline Johnson raised him in a loving family in Perth, Western Australia. They lived in North Beach and Louis spent time surfing at local breaks as he grew up.
Despite a happy childhood, Louis was increasingly targeted for his Aboriginality. As he grew older, his need to meet his natural family prompted visits to Alice Springs with his parents. He was planning to return to Alice Springs when, walking home on his nineteenth birthday, Louis was brutally murdered by a group of youths. This crime shattered the Johnson family and the suburb of North Beach.
Louis's story is featured in the documentary "Liyarn Ngarn" and in Archie Roach's song "Louis St John." There is also a book, A Boy's Short Life: The True Story Of Warren Braedon written by Anna Haebich.
