Podcasts about wailwan

Uncle Michael Welsh is a Wailwan man and member of the Stolen Generations. The 71-year-old shares his story of grief and healing; how he used alcohol and violence to suppress the trauma and abuse he says he confronted at Kinchela Boys home, before finally finding safety and comfort to share his story among other men who were subject to the same trauma. In an extra episode for the Living Loss series, Catriona Stirrat speaks to Uncle Michael about his journey with The Healing Foundation's Stolen Generations Reference Group, and how he navigates grief.

 3CR Breakfast Wednesday 27th December 2023 As we farewell 2023, we reflect on the Referendum on an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament and the future of Australia. Throughout this episode you will hear a selection of music by First Nations artists, the voices of Wiradjuri and Wailwan woman, lawyer Teela Reid and distinguished historian and Monash University Indigenous Studies Centre academic Professor Lynette Russell. Teela Reid is the University of Sydney's inaugural First Nation's Practitioner-in-Residence. She spoke alongside Noel Pearson at the inaugural 'Voices on the Voice' Sydney Ideas event at the University of Sydney on 22nd May 2023. Broadcast permission courtesy of University of Sydney. Professor Lynette Russell is a Sir John Monash Distinguished Professor and Australian Research Council Laureate based at Monash University's Indigenous Studies Centre. Her illustrious career spans three decades, covering 16th to 20th century Australian history. She was an active promoter of the Voice to Parliament and co-authored a book with Melissa Castan called Time to Listen- An Indigenous Voice to Parliament. Professor Russell's Aboriginal ancestors were born on the lands of the Wotjobaluk people in Western Victoria, and her British descendants were transported to Australia as convicts. Claudia spoke to Professor Russell following a week's silence after the Referendum on a Voice to Parliament. (First broadcast 3CR Breakfast 25/10/23)  Music Why / Kutcha Edwards, 2008 Rain / Monica Weightman, 1998 Little Voice / Charcoal Club, 2005 Women's Business / Ruby Hunter, 1994 Keep the Fires Burning / Patricia Clarke, 2006 Are you from TI? / The Mills Sisters, 1993 Koorie Time / Emma Donovan, 2010 September Song / Leah Flanaghan, 2010 Fitzroy Crossing / Warumpi Band, 1985 Goddess Love / Dan Sultan, 2009 Cannot Buy My Soul / Archie Roach, 2007 Bicentennial Blues / Archie Roach / 1988, 2009 Somewhere over the Rainbow / Shellie Morris and Stephen Pigram, 2006  3CR Breakfast acknowledges First Nations communities around Australia and that sovereignty was never ceded and a treaty never signed. We pay respects to elders, past and present, and acknowledge the resilience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Australian community.           

Jenny Khan is a Wailwan woman and the owner and director of the Unexpected Guest - a breakfast food company that prides itself on creating clean, healthy food, using Indigenous botanicals.  In this episode, Mundanara chats to Jenny about what it takes to succeed in business, leading with Indigenous values and the influence of Country. Recommendations throughout this episode:  https://theunexpectedguest.com/about-us/ https://www.kristalkinsela.com/ Website: www.blackmagicwoman.com.au Follow us on Instagram - @blackmagicwomanpodcast The Black Magic Woman Podcast is hosted by Mundanara Bayles and is an uplifting conversational style program featuring mainly Aboriginal guests and explores issues of importance to Aboriginal people and communities.  Mundanara is guided by Aboriginal Terms of Reference and focusses more on who people are rather than on what they do. If you enjoyed this episode, please ‘Subscribe' on Apple Podcasts or ‘Follow' on your Spotify app and tell your friends and family about us! If you'd like to contact us, please email, info@blackmagicwoman.com.au  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What if the way we think about leadership is completely wrong? Teela Reid is a proud Wiradjuri and Wailwan woman, rebellious lawyer, co-founder of Blackfulla Bookclub, and co-host of the Blak Matters podcast. Teela also was a working group leader in the constitutional dialogues that culminated in the Uluru Statement from the Heart. In this discussion with Helen McCabe, Teela talks about what the word 'leadership' means for First Nations Women, remaining fearless in the face of conflict, and her underrated superpower.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Poverty, prison and being born into addiction - with all the odds stacked against him, Bradley Gimbert has found the recipe for a successful life.Your life is 100% up to you. It's up to you to decide what you're made of.Indigenous entrepreneur Bradley Gimbert is a proud Aboriginal man with ancestral ties to the Wailwan mob and, through his adoptive father, also to the Barkindji mob.   Bradley is the Founder and Managing Director of Indigenous Wealth, a consultancy dedicated to helping First Nations Peoples achieve financial prosperity.  https://www.indigenouswealth.com.au/Follow Mark Bouris on Instagram, LinkedIn & YouTube.   You can subscribe to the newsletter here: https://lnkd.in/e7C8akgj.  Lifeline Australia 13 11 14See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week is NAIDOC week, where we celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. In today's episode, proud Wiradjuri and Wailwan woman Teela Reid joins us to not only share her experience growing up in Australia but also to help educate anyone who wants to learn more about First Nations issues. Teela is the host of the 'Blak Matters' podcast, which is an exploration of First Nations topics and why they matter, and today she delves into some of these topics such as the importance of Acknowledgement of Country and why we should all celebrate NAIDOC week. Teela is also a lawyer, so is the perfect person to explain The 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum that's happening later this year.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why do we wait until something is trending to talk about it?  In this episode, rebellious lawyer, storyteller and proud Wiradjuri and Wailwan woman Teela Reid yarns with Mundanara about how our stories matter all the time, land rights and how Australia needs to come to terms with itself as a ‘white racist colony'. Teela also talks about her exciting new podcast, Blak Matters which aims to entertain through education. Recommendations throughout this episode:  https://www.teelareid.com/story Website: www.blackmagicwoman.com.au Follow us on Instagram - @blackmagicwomanpodcast The Black Magic Woman Podcast is hosted by Mundanara Bayles and is an uplifting conversational style program featuring mainly Aboriginal guests and explores issues of importance to Aboriginal people and communities.  Mundanara is guided by Aboriginal Terms of Reference and focusses more on who people are rather than on what they do. If you enjoyed this episode, please ‘Subscribe' on Apple Podcasts or ‘Follow' on your Spotify app and tell your friends and family about us! If you'd like to contact us, please email, info@blackmagicwoman.com.au  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join Stan and Jack as they speak with Teela Reid, Wiradjuri and Wailwan woman, lawyer, essayist, and leading advocate for a First Nations Voice. They discuss how racism towards First Nations people is increasing, Teela's recent experience being on country at the Warangesda Mission, the tension between reckoning and reform, and what it would take for a Voice – and the wider vision of the Uluru Statement – to mark a nation-building moment for Australia.

Teela Reid is a proud Wiradjuri and Wailwan woman, lawyer, and story-teller. Teela was also involved in the Constitutional dialogue process that culminated in the Uluru Statement from the Heart. The Prime Minister has foreshadowed a referendum on the question of a First Nations Voice to Parliament; a key component of the Statement of the Heart. One day soon we will all be called upon to vote on this critical question.In this conversation Jamila Rizvi and Teela Reid discuss kinship, oral history, colonization, healing, treaty, and much more.    THE WEEKEND LIST: READ: Audiobooks from your local library   WATCH: Emilia – Arts Centre Melbourne WATCH: Drink Masters – Netflix READ: Uluru Statement From The Heart   Follow The Briefing: Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast Facebook: TheBriefingNewsAUTwitter: @TheBriefingAUSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you were paying close attention to Vivid Sydney just now you might have caught mention of something called the Blak Hand Collective. A forming idea that connects indigenous architects, interior designers, landscape designers and beyond. Award-winning architect and a man of Wailwan and Kamilaroi country Jefa Greenaway is one of the people behind the idea along with Wiradjuri architect Craig Kerslake. It's a wonderful and rich set of possibilities for connecting ideas of design, identity, and place.

In recent years world leading institutions like the Louvre in Paris, the Metropolitan in New York and the British Museum have faced scrutiny over their countless collections of foreign items pilfered during wars and colonisation. Slowly we're starting to see these museums return these objects - which are sometimes sacred human remains - to their rightful custodians, including museums in Australia. Guest: Laura McBride, a Wailwan woman and the Australian Museum's director of First Nations Producer: Eleni Psaltis

Why are we a nation that has not yet recognised the First People, and what can we do to take action? Teela Reid, proud Wiradjuri and Wailwan woman, lawyer and the University of Sydney's inaugural Indigenous Practitioner-in-Residence, examines the hard questions that cut to the legitimacy of our democracy on the eve of the fifth anniversary of Uluru Statement from the Heart. Teela was joined in a conversation moderated by Billi FitzSimons, Editor of The Daily Aus. Professor Simon Bronitt, Head and Dean of Sydney Law School, introduced the event and a Welcome to County provided by Michael West from Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council (MLALC). You can hear all of this in the full event, available on video via the Sydney Ideas website: https://bit.ly/3x7mrJp

Australia's natural history museums, like many government institutions that played a role in colonisation, have been viewed with great suspicion by First Nations Peoples. Today, the Australian Museum stands firm in its commitment to acknowledge the wrongs of the past. Part of that process is truth-telling. In this episode, Laura McBride – Wailwan and Kooma woman, and Director, First Nations, at the Australian Museum – shares three important pieces of the 2021 exhibition, Unsettled. We hear from Aunty Fay Mosely, a Wiradjuri Elder who was taken from her family when she was ten years old; we will travel back to 1770 to hear the accounts of Kaureg Ppeoples on the arrival of Cook's tall ship; and we will return to the present to learn an Aboriginal teaching of caring for one another and sharing with one another. Guests: Aunty Fay Mosley, Uncle Richard Waubin Aken, and Fleur and Laurance Magick Dennis Host: Laura McBrideFind images, extra stories and transcript at australian.museum/explore-----Elder Waubin Richard Aken is a Traditional Owner of the island of Tuined and appointed Tribal Historian for Kaurareg First Nations people. He works with elders of the Kaurareg lands and waters to strengthen alliances with the wider Cape York community. Richard was involved in the re-establishment of the Horn Island community through a Native Title Claim of the Kaurareg nation and actively participates in the maintenance of his people's unique culture. Fleur and Laurance Magick Dennis Milan Dhiiyaan means “One Family or One Mob”. We are referring to all of us, all of humanity, as one family on mother earth. Milan Dhiiyaan provides Aboriginal cultural immersion experiences for both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people of our Australian and global community. Milan Dhiiyaan is led by Wiradjuri/Wailwaan songwoman and senior cultural educator Nyimirr (Fleur Magick Dennis) and Wailwaan/Yuin songman and senior cultural educator Millmullian (Laurance Magick Dennis).Aunty Fay Mosely is a strong Wiradjuri woman, Elder, artist and advocate for the Stolen Generations, working hard to support other stolen children in re-connecting with their families and cultures, and having their stories heard. Laura McBride is a Wailwan and Kooma woman and Director, First Nations at the Australian Museum. In this role, Laura leads the First Nations strategic direction and operations, as well as managing the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Pasifika collections. Laura's vision for the AM centres on prioritising and amplifying First Nations voices so that Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, and Pacific communities represent themselves and their cultures within the Museum. Laura's projects at the AM include the development of Garrigarrang: Sea Country and the award-winning GADI exhibition. She conducted ground-breaking First Nations community consultation through The 2020 Project that informed the First Nations-led exhibition Unsettled, which she co-curated, that opened at the AM in May 2021. Laura holds a Bachelor of Arts (University of Sydney) with a double Major in Psychology and Australian Indigenous Studies, and a Master of Aboriginal Education (University of Technology Sydney). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

First Nations women are on the frontline of change, from truth-telling to enshrining a First Nations voice in the constitution. Wiradjuri and Wailwan woman Teela Reid is a contributing editor to the Griffith Review 'Acts of Reckoning', and explores the power of the First Nations Matriarchy.

Bradley Gimbert is a proud Aboriginal man with ancestral ties to the Wailwan mob, and through his adoptive father, also to the Barkindji mob. He has grown up in several suburbs of Western Sydney and identifies proudly with his culture.As a child, Brad faced much adversity and quickly became aware of the prejudice our people face, with his father losing their family home and being forced into bankruptcy off the back end of bad advice. It was at this point, brad understood the harsh reality our people face, which is that no one is coming to save us, and no-one is going to create the life we want, for us. In fact the opposite is true - If we want something different for our future, it is up to us to create that changeGrowing up Bradley sought to be more than his circumstances and wanted desperately to escape the negatives stigmas being placed on our people. Which is why Brad, made it his obligation to help put our people in a better position, starting with his parents. Who he moved out of housing commission by purchasing them a home which they now reside in. Through property investing, Brad was able to change his circumstances and mould the life he wanted for himself & his mob.‍Brad started Indigenous Wealth as a means to equip our people with the tools needed to venture into property investing. His experience in residential property and firsthand experience, having his own portfolio and assisting with over 200 million in property for clients throughout his career, brings a great deal of knowledge and expertise. Now Brad has reached a significant milestone in helping other mob purchase property and create sustainable change in our community, including myself! We talk about all this and more on Episode #84. Don't miss it!Recommendations throughout this episode: https://www.indigenouswealth.com.au/about-ushttps://moneysmart.gov.auhttps://firstnationsfoundation.org.auWebsite: www.blackmagicwoman.com.auFollow us on Instagram - @blackmagicwomanpodcastThe Black Magic Woman Podcast is hosted by Mundanara Bayles and is an uplifting conversational style program featuring mainly Aboriginal guests and explores issues of importance to Aboriginal people and communities. Mundanara is guided by Aboriginal Terms of Reference and focusses more on who people are rather than on what they do.If you enjoyed this episode, please ‘Subscribe' on Apple Podcasts or ‘Follow' on your Spotify app and tell your friends and family about us! If you'd like to contact us, please email, info@blackmagicwoman.com.auSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/black-magic-woman. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Coleen Shirley Perry had a heart of gold. So when she went to visit her brother in jail, she saw something that few people saw. Instead of seeing baddies, she saw people who needed compassion, and someone to listen to their problems. Soon she was visiting lots of other prisoners. And every time the prison authorities stopped her, or questioned her, she said the same thing: 'I'm his mum.' She became known as Mum Shirl. Word spread about how she could help, and this prominent Wiradjuri woman became a fearless supporter of anyone who needed it. She dedicated her life to helping people with their problems. She helped the homeless, the hungry, those down on their luck, women and many, many children. She established community services for Indigenous Australians and fought for their justice and welfare. And she did it all without ever setting foot in a school. For our Indigenous and Torres Strait islander listeners: this episode contains the depiction of someone who has died. Narrated by lawyer, activist and Wiradjuri and Wailwan woman, Teela Reid

Coleen Shirley Perry had a heart of gold. So when she went to visit her brother in jail, she saw something that few people saw. Instead of seeing baddies, she saw people who needed compassion, and someone to listen to their problems. Soon she was visiting lots of other prisoners. And every time the prison authorities stopped her, or questioned her, she said the same thing: 'I'm his mum.' She became known as Mum Shirl. Word spread about how she could help, and this prominent Wiradjuri woman became a fearless supporter of anyone who needed it. She dedicated her life to helping people with their problems. She helped the homeless, the hungry, those down on their luck, women and many, many children. She established community services for Indigenous Australians and fought for their justice and welfare. And she did it all without ever setting foot in a school. For our Indigenous and Torres Strait islander listeners: this episode contains the depiction of someone who has died. Narrated by lawyer, activist and Wiradjuri and Wailwan woman, Teela Reid

Acknowledgement of Country News headlines 50th Anniversary of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy, No Police at Pride, Housing and Homlessness crisis, Dr Jackie Huggins on the reissue of ‘Sister Girl: Reflections of Tiddaism, Identity and Reconciliation'  We hear a speech from Guwama woman Cheryl Buchanan, one of the early campaigners at the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in 1972, at the 50th anniversary of the Embassy. This audio was broadcast live yesterday during 3CR's Invasion Day 2022 programming. Frank Gafa is a Wailwan and Wiradjuri queer man, trade unionist, education and community activist and one of the organisers of the No Police at Pride Open Letter. He joins us to discuss the open letter and it's call for Victoria Police to cease participation in the Pride march. Jay Coonan from the Antipoverty Centre joins us to discuss the Centre's recent statement on Australia's housing and homeless crisis as highlighted in the Productivity Commission's 2022 report on government services. Jay will also update us on the proposed sale of public land by Moreland council and the importance of prioritising public housing over private profit.  Earlier this week, Priya caught up with Dr Jackie Huggins to discuss the recently published updated edition of her classic collection 'Sister Girl: Reflections on Tiddaism, Identity and Reconciliation', which is out now with the University of Queensland Press. Dr Huggins is a member of the Bidjara and Birri Gubba Juru peoples, and is currently leading the work towards Treaty/Treaties in Queensland. Catch the rest next Monday 31st January from 8:30-9AM on 3CR's Women on the Line. Links to organisations to Pay The Rent: Pay the RentDhadjowa FoundationAnaiwan LandBack Wuurn of KanakVALSThe Blak Pearl Aboriginal Cultural and Creative Studio SongsTiddas - AnthemAncestress - One By One

Mamamia only refers to January 26 by its date, to acknowledge that it is not a day of celebration for all Australians.  Instead of publishing an episode of The Quicky today, Host Claire Murphy provides some recommendations for some excellent First Nations content and brands (see links below) for you to explore. If you want to be an ally this January 26, we urge you to send your MP a letter about the Uluru Statement from the Heart, which calls for constitutional change and structural reform that recognises the sacred, ancient spiritual link Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have to their land. You can use this letter template to email your MP. Claire's Recommendations First Nations Fashion: Clothing The Gaps - A fresh and dynamic fashion label managed by health professionals that celebrates Aboriginal people and culture. Clothing The Gaps is a play on the words "Closing the Gap", which is an Australian Government health initiative to help close the life expectancy gap between Aboriginal people and non-Indigenous Australians.  Trading Blak - Sells fashion, wellbeing and food products from businesses that are First Nations owned and led. It is also a safe and transparent space to educate, inform and support not only Indigenous owned and run businesses but also those who wish to support Blak businesses whether that be economically or through engagement.  Kirrikin - Luxury resortwear, featuring the artwork of contemporary indigenous artists from around the country. The stunning artwork is digitally printed onto sustainable fabrics to create unique, luxurious, and ethically made garments. First Nations Fashion + Design - A national voice representing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members. Creating ongoing access to opportunities, skill development, and industry engagement. Working towards a self-sustaining ecosystem of Aboriginal fashion designers, textile artists, jewellery designers, photographers, models, hair + make up artist, stylist, curators + Fashion Industry Professionals.  Media: Indigenous X - A 100% Indigenous owned and operated media, consultancy and training organisation. They have an excellent Twitter account which is run by a different person each week so you can hear a host of Indigenous voices throughout the year. Indigenous X also features many excellent articles on their website concerning a range of First Nations issues and views. Podcasts: Pretty For An Aboriginal - Nakkiah and Miranda have conversations Australia is uncomfortable having - about sex, relationships, dating, power, and, most difficult of all, race. Coming Out Blak - Hosts Matika Little and Courtney Hagen are dedicated to supporting and celebrating First Nations mob in the LGBTQ+ community. Follow @comingoutblak on instagram to connect. Unapologetically Blak - A project that has been developed by two Australian Indigenous women, Ginny and AJ, to offer an insight into the personal lives and distinctive sisterhood that Blak Australia exists within. ⠀ Books: Growing Up Aboriginal In Australia, by Professor Anita Hess - Anita is a proud member of the Wiradjuri Nation of central New South Wales, but was born in Gadigal Country and has spent much of her life on Dharawal land near La Perouse. She is one of Australia's most prolific and well-known authors publishing across genres including non-fiction, historical fiction, commercial fiction, and children's novels.  Blackfulla Bookclub - An initiative by Teela Reid, a proud Wiradjuri and Wailwan woman, lawyer and storyteller born and raised in Gilgandra western NSW, and Merinda Dutton, a proud Gumbaynggirr and Barkindji woman and also a lawyer. Together they share book recommendations and stories to heal our nation. CREDITS  Host: Claire Murphy Producer: Claire Murphy Executive Producer: Siobhán Moran-McFarlane Audio Producer: Ian Camilleri Subscribe to The Quicky at... https://mamamia.com.au/the-quicky/ CONTACT US Got a topic you'd like us to cover? Send us an email at thequicky@mamamia.com.au GET IN TOUCH: Feedback? We're listening! Call the pod phone on 02 8999 9386 or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. Just by reading or listening to our content, you're helping to fund girls in schools in some of the most disadvantaged countries in the world - through our partnership with Room to Read. We're currently funding 300 girls in school every day and our aim is to get to 1,000. Find out more about Mamamia at mamamia.com.au  Support the show: https://www.mamamia.com.au/mplus/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aboriginal Way is proud to share an episode from the award-winning series Southern Deadly Yarns season 2 by Neporendi Aboriginal Forum Inc. and Onkaparinga Libraries.This episode is about Blackfulla Bookclub, an online celebration of First Nations storytelling that has amassed over 35,000 followers on Instagram. Run by Gumbaynggirr and Barkandji woman Merinda Dutton and Wiradjuri and Wailwan woman Teela Reid, these passionate lawyers and influencers yarn about literature, culture, and more.Follow the creators of Southern Deadly Yarns on social media:www.facebook.com/cityofonkaparingawww.facebook.com/Neporendi/

Blackfulla Bookclub is the online celebration of First Nations storytelling that has amassed over 35 000 followers on Instagram. Run by Gumbaynggirr and Barkandji woman Merinda Dutton and Wiradjuri and Wailwan woman Teela Reid, these passionate lawyers and influencers are joining us to yarn about literature, culture, and more!

Teela Reid is a proud Wiradjuri and Wailwan woman and lawyer. In a revealing conversation, she talks to LSJ about family, her determination to improve the criminal justice system for Aboriginal people and why she took a former Prime Minister to task on live television.This episode is supported by Legal Home Loans - visit www.legalhomeloans.com.au

How has this year shaped the way you read? We catch up with Wiradjuri and Wailwan woman Teela Reid – a lawyer, former teacher, and the co-founder of @blackfulla_bookclub, an Instagram initiative dedicated to providing a space for other Blackfullas to "read and write the revolution." Plus, we unpack the backlash to a particularly disrespectful and disappointing aspect of Rihanna's Savage x Fenty show. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Teela Reid is a proud Wiradjuri and Wailwan woman and lawyer. She was born and raised in Gilgandra western NSW and comes from a family of advocates in the NSW Land rights movement.On this episode of Coogee Voice, Teela discusses indigenous constitutional recognition, Wallama Court and the Uluru statement of the heart.

In episode 87 of this podcast series I spoke with the proud Wiradjuri & Wailwan woman Teela Reid who referred to 2020 being the year of reckoning for Australia and it’s connection to our First Nation people. And a reckoning we are facing. WIth the Black Lives Matter movement here in Australia picking up voice I was of course eager to sit down with Teela again, to continue to unpack, to sit in the discomfort, and learn. For her and for so many here in Australia, for generations this isn’t a new movement, this is an intergenerational battle, a daily fight. In this conversation we face the reality that health statistics for indigenous people in this country are worse than for the white community, and we dismiss this truth. We talk about what is tokenistic vs real action in acknowledging Aboriginal culture. Teela is generous in the face of my ignorance, and focused on the changes she has committed to seeing happen here in this country. I want to say a huge thank you for the ongoing generosity and fight Teela brings. She calls us all to write to our local members, show up where we are, and use the platforms that we have. Ask yourself where is your reckoning as you tune into this conversation with Teela Reid. https://www.instagram.com/heart2heart_journey https://www.instagram.com/blackfulla_bookclub https://www.instagram.com/teelareid

In this episode I sit down with proud Wiradjuri & Wailwan woman Teela Reid. Teela is a defence lawyer, former teacher, 5 x marathoner and activist. She was awarded UNSW Law Dean’s Women of Excellence List and was appointed tipstaff to her Honour Justice Lucy McCallum in the NSW Supreme Court. Ms Reid was invited to sit in on leadership meetings in Melbourne that began the foundation of the Uluru Statement of the Heart and became a working group leader on Section 51(xxvi) in the Constitutional dialogue process. Teela shares why our constitution needs to change to acknowledge the Indigenous people of this land, and how when we include this significant part of our culture and our history, we are not losing 200 years of history we are gaining an inclusion to the 60,000 years of Indigenous culture. Which is certainly something I want for my kids. Teela’s call is for all of us to be a part of this change. This is an important conversation and one I would encourage you to listen to again and again. Soak up the honesty, wisdom, and conviction that oozes out of Teela Reid.

When you ask an Aboriginal woman what it means to her to be Australian and she responds that she's never identified as Australian you step back a little... Learn why Teela Reid, a proud Wiradjuri and Wailwan woman from Gilgandra, takes a different view on our nation and growing up in Australia. A lawyer, a Harvard emerging leader, Teela wears many hats and it was great to sit down and have a yarn

This interview with Auntie Josie is to acknowledge and celebrate NAIDOC week, 2018.  Auntie Josie is from the Wailwan nation. She is a First Nations Person. We were speaking on Darug land. I am deeply grateful and honoured that she has shared some of the stories of her life with me.  These stories concern sexual abuse, domestic violence, suicide and parental death, among other things. Please be advised of these triggers. Listen mindfully for your own wellbeing and with respect for Auntie Josie. Auntie Josie is a woman of remarkable courage, wisdom and kindness. I have been moved beyond words in listening to her stories and by the generosity she has shown in sharing them with me. The purpose of sharing the stories is to help Australians, like myself, understand better the experiences of First Nations Peoples. These experiences are the consequence of colonisation and genocide. I would like to be very clear that I acknowledge that these are Auntie Josie's stories. I am simply privileged to be permitted to release them here as a Creating Space Project podcast episode.  So too, the thumbnail image is the official NAIDOC 2018 logo and I am using it, I believe in good faith, to be a part of this celebration. 

Cherie Johnson is passionate about Aboriginal education.   I interviewed Cherie at the Indigenous Chamber of Commerce, while she participated in a program for entrepreneurs. While we spoke, she brought to life the landscape around us. Sydney Harbour is the traditional land of the Gadigal people. Long before colonisation by the British, this was a harbour into which whales came to breed. It had a rich social history, a shared space that saw peaceful trading with many other nations, including the Dutch and the Indonesians.   When I studied history in Australia in the 1990s, we covered aspects of the histories of many nations. In Australian history, while certain aspects of colonisation were addressed, the Myall Creek Massacre being a notable stand out in my memory, this was not a focus of our education. The white settlers were the focus. I have no memory of being taught anything about Australian history prior to colonisation, which was often, and still is, referred to as the “early days” of Australia.   Cherie believes passionately in the importance of Indigenising the Australian school curriculum. For example, Cherie means that we need to include much more Aboriginal content, such as teaching a history that doesn’t start with the colonisation of Australia.   Cherie feels it is also important to recognise that, while Australian education is typically focused on verbal ways of learning, Aboriginal people, and many non-Aboriginals, learn much more through kinetic and visual ways: learning through having a go at a process and then solidifying the learning with the written process.   These are topics that can be uncomfortable for non-Aboriginal Australians. An Aboriginal perspective can be a “narrative that is foreign.” Cherie wants to support non-Aboriginal Australians to implement these perspectives, to talk about “topics that they don’t find completely comfortable but [are] navigating anyway.”   Her sense of herself as an Aboriginal woman is ever-present in her story. For me, a settler woman, it was a privilege to listen to how Cherie’s understanding of her identity is located so strongly within her culture. A Wailwan woman, part of the Gomileroi language group, her family is from northern NSW. From a strong line of women, Cherie lives now on the land of the Awabakal people, not far north of Sydney, Australia.   As Cherie says, “at the base of who I am, I’m an Aboriginal woman.” That means she will always ask herself what is important for her people, her community, her family network. It means being strong in herself.   Cherie doesn't devalue the existing Australian education system. In fact, as well as raising her children and running her business, she is completing a PhD, seeking to empirically validate her beliefs about the importance of Aboriginal education. She hopes to bring together what is important in both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal perspectives.   As a non-Aboriginal, I am steeped in the settler narrative. My education and upbringing enculturated me into that focus. And, as Cherie said, it can be uncomfortable to take another perspective.    But discomfort, really, is where growth lies. Sitting and listening to Cherie's perspective of this land created an expansive feeling. It was a glimpse into the way another person, another group of people, view and make sense of the world.    As Cherie says, of the way her cultural identity shapes her life and her perspective, “it’s like the steering wheel of my life and my body.”