Create New Dreams. Seeding the Future Vision

Families Creating. Growing  and Flourishing Together.

We had a wonderful weekend camp, thanks to the women  who came from two Communities to join us in the Riverland.

Along with the Mandala art and making clay beads, we work-shopped the Vision for the Womens groups and then painted terra cotta pots and planted the Sunflower seeds that will grow along with the new changes.

Thankyou to the women for allowing us to photograph the art work and capture the many wonderful moments where Nanas and great grandchildren, Elders and younger women sat and enjoyed the  creative processes  together.

What better way to spend a weekend in the Riverland sun in Ngarrindjeri country?

Deanna Nungala and I feel very privileged to have been invited to host the Celeberating our Community ART of Change camp and look forward to our Miminis Nopin ventures when we can return the gifting by visiting the women and seeing how the sunflowers have grown.

Miminis Nopin – Women on the Move.

Women overcoming the pain of the past and seeding the Vision for the Future.

Art based activities that young and old  can enjoy together.

Deanna and I wearing the clay necklaces we made during the Apology week, to honor the Mothers whose children were stolen from them.  Nungala is a Stolen Generation survivor and a Warrior Woman of the heart in the truest sense.

Our Vision Workshopping Board.

Painting the clay beads they have rolled earlier in the day is wonderful for concentration for the little kids and fun~creativity for all ages.

Little sister can create and paint her own beads too!

This pot-painter will seed some fantastic changes for her  Community over the coming years.

The gorgeous smile that lights up rooms and hearts.

Our Chef extraordinaire took time out from her delicious food-making to paint a pot of her own.

Lady birds for good luck turned up on the top of this artists work.

As you can see.

Mother and Daughter creating together. They have a vegie garden at home and the new Sunflowers might fill that garden one day!

One single  seed births the seeds of many new flowers over one single season.

Seeding the Vision is a journey of process, attention, watering and  patience.

All  pots are sealed with varnish and the forward lean, with head titled upward is a spraying skill.

Farewell Ruby Hunter ~ Ngarrindjeri, Kukatha, Pitjantjatjara Woman

The world is a little less bright today as one of the true Stars of Australian music has passed away.

Ruby Hunter was the first Aboriginal Woman in Australia to secure a record contract with a major record company but her greatest achievement was her love, inspiration and strong role model she was for all Women, most especially Aboriginal Women. She was and will remain a strong voice for Women recovering from violence and abuse.

Ruby, like so many other Aboriginal children, was stolen from her family by the Australian government and this deep trauma lead her to a period of a life on the streets and alcohol…until she met her life partner and Soul Mate, Archie Roach as a teenager…Together they enriched the voice and culture of Australian music forever.

Here are some of the tributes on the Celebrating the Life of Ruby Hunter facebook page….

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“Ruby ‘got’ people, was flexible and was generous with culture and causes. She was ironic and humorous. So many little girls have been named afterher!
Ruby didn’t just survive, she transcended, created and inspired. She mothered the
whole hurting country. Her passing is a deep loss for Australia and for everyone close to her.”

“Ruby, small in size, but her voice and her presence were huge, she could fill an amphitheater with love. She gave a voice to so many who were voiceless, she sang the songs that gave hope to our spirits, and eased our pain when it seemed insurmountable. She will be missed by thousands who she graced with her music, and her spirit lives on in her children, her music & the love she shared with Archie.”

“First time I sang at the Fly By NiteClub Perth as a soloist, it was as a support act for her and Archie….she had such a warm heart….and with her beautiful heart and warmest, down-to-earth, personality, she squeezed my hand and told me, “you’ll be right bub!”….and I will never EVER forget that! My deepest condolences to the family…praying for peace, strength & comfort during this time. Saddest lost…but what a life & testimony to celebrate & remember always! LEGEND!”

“Sometimes I would be hosting a women’s group for Aboriginal Health /d.v. services and was always mindful that there were some things that were not my place to discuss, areas I couldn’t really go to because I’m not an Aboriginal woman. So I’d put on her album “Thoughts Within” …we’d listen to tracks like “Sister”…”Women’s Business” and it would be RUBY HUNTER who would bring the story and the conversations to the room.
I can not find words to express what this has meant over the years except to say move over Mary Mackillop! ”

“As a young Aboriginal Woman…she was my “AUSTRALIAN IDOL ! !”

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Some of Rubys music can be found on youtube.
Archie and Ruby’s music makes sure we never forget the outrageous injustices committed against Aboriginal people…and the resilience and strength that defines the Spirit of the rightful owners of this amazing country we call Australia…

Ingalalla Falls south of Adelaide- A beautiful place on a wet and windy day…

My buddy Deanna and I were both a bit tired, a bit low on joi-de-vivre… we know that this kind of too-much-of-the-city tiredness needs very specific treatment!

It requires packing the picnic basket, spending hours amongst Nature with a cup of tea in china mugs, accompanied by a piece of apple-crumble cheesecake from the Yankalilla bakery…. taking time out of the city away from the mobile phones waves and relentless traffic….noise traffic, mobile phone traffic, people traffic and the news, news, news…

Nothing else will remedy what only Nature offers the weary 21st Century gals!….(;-)

Here is where we went…and if you look really closely you can see the Spirits of Nature all around…

Ingalalla Falls…nestled in between hilly country that is green and clean and lush….

Adelaide [Tandanya] – City of Contrasts…

People often relocate to Adelaide because of the beauty and the lifestyle, the smaller population and the general sense of not-quite-a-city-and-bigger-than-a-country-town.
Sometimes those same people complain about Adelaide being slow to change and resistant to development whilst also appreciating the things that make this city unique.

Heritage listed buildings (there are many) are protected from the 21st centuries vastly different architecture, though sometimes only the outer facade remains as the inside of the old blue stone buildings undergo radical surgery and extraction of almost all body parts.

The other day we were attending an event in the relatively new Mawson building in North Terrace and looking out of the window I was taken by the light of the late afternoon sun and how the new overshadows the old along this stretch of the city that overlooks the railway station and River Torrens behind it.

In the background St Peters Cathederal looks like it has a team of 2 storey fly swatters in front of it…the fly swatters being the lights that surround the staidly old home of tradition, The Adelaide Cricket Ground…

It is a good place to live and the surrounding country side produces some of the best wines from MacLaren Vale through to the Barossa Valley, from grapes that are perfectly suited to this climate.

The hills form an arc shaped range and we are nestled between the hills and the sea and the land in and around the city and in the further afield country side is rich in the Dreaming stories of the Ngarrindjeri, Kaurna and Nurrunga people – three of the largest tribal groupings of this part of the land..

The Adelaide Central markets offer fresh, locally grown fruit and vegetables, breads, cheese and scrumptious cafes and all along Grouger and Grote streets, (the back and front of the market) there is a wide vareity of restaurants and more cafes that are a constant reminder of how truly fortunate we are to be living in a place such as this.

Sorry Day- This is what Katrina and Carol felt on the day…

A picture paints a thousand words and we all shared many tears and smiles and hugs on this historical, momentus day.   

When people we care about express views that oppose our own…

A good friend and former colleague made a comment recently about how she ‘struggles’ with the public protocol of acknowledging that we are on traditional Kaurna Land here in Adelaide.
My friend went on to express her concern…”how long do we have to keep saying sorry”…”other people have had terrible things happen too”…

Even recalling her comments stirs that feeling inside that we still have such a long way to go before the impact of systemic genocide and the child abductions of the white Australia policy that still resonantes in the lives of many people today is healed and resolved…for some it will never be as they live out their life of disconnection in a void and wilderness of cultural identity and belonging…

Wheras I fully endorse the acknowledgement as a very small step in the Reconciliation process, when I am speaking publically I also add as part of the acknowledgement, that many of the things we are seeking today and have been identified in our current State Strategic Plan… connection , meaning, mental well being, family, community, creativity and envorinmental management…are traditional Aborginal cultural values and practices that kept Australia healthy and well, with clear waters and strogn soil for thousands of years…

My friend and I have shared many special and sacred moments over the years we have known one another, sharing the journeys of homeless women and our personal trials and tribulations and it is a solid connection but I have to admit that I felt myself withdrawing from her and concerned by the views she holds, even knowing that she is as impacted by the negative portrayal of Aboriginal people as many other members of mainstream, middle class white Australia are, didn’t help to shift the sense of ignorance-born-of-‘privielge’ that sweeps across divide between Black and white Australia.

I was going to detail the conversation to demonstrate how someone who works in the area of human services and is a kind and caring person in so many areas, can be so ignorant of the deep impact of the European invasion on so many levels…and how that level of ignorance reflects how early it is in the journey of recovery as a Nation…but instead I’ll share a more forward moving news…
I was thrilled to hear the news that Bruce Trevorrow, a Ngarrindjeri man who was stolen from his family as a little boy and placed in a prison-like institution, will be compensated for the actions of the government and the devastating impact it has had on his life.

$500,000 stolen generation compo awarded
Article from: AAP

By Todd Cardy
August 01, 2007 06:49pm
AN Aboriginal man taken from his family as a baby has been awarded more than $500,000 compensation in a South Australian court, a first for a member of the stolen generation.

Bruce Trevorrow was 13 months old in 1957 when a neighbour drove him from his Coorong family home, southeast of Adelaide, to the Children’s Hospital on Christmas Day, with stomach pains.

Hospital notes tended to the South Australian Supreme Court show staff recorded that the child had no parents, was neglected and malnourished.

Two weeks later, he was given under the authority of Aborigines Protection Board to a woman, who later became his foster parent, without the permission of his natural parents.

He did not see his family again for 10 years.

In June 1998, Mr Trevorrow sued the SA Government for pain and suffering, claiming he had lost his cultural identity, suffered depression, became an alcoholic and had an erratic employment history after being taken as a child from his family.

The court heard the 50-year-old was depressed due to a chronic insecurity and had been treated with antidepressants and tranquillisers since he was 10.

Justice Thomas Gray today ruled in favour of Mr Trevorrow, saying the state falsely imprisoned him as a child and owed him a duty of care for his pain and suffering.

Justice Gray said Mr Trevorrow had had a “tumultuous young adult life” and the removal of him from his family caused injury and damage, which manifested throughout his childhood and adult life.

“I have reached the conclusion that the plaintiff has, thus far, generally had a miserable life,” he said in his findings.

“He does not belong. He feels isolated. His depression has led him to abuse alcohol. This abuse has compounded his problems.”

Justice Gray noted a “level of determination” on the part of the Aborigines Protection Board to ensure Mr Trevorrow and his mother did not have contact.

He rejected arguments from SA Government lawyers that the child was not unlawfully removed from his parents because the Aborigines Protection Board was not part of the government.

The Government was ordered to pay $525,000 for injuries, loses and false imprisonment.

Mr Trevorrow left court vindicated, saying he would pay off his house with the money.

“I thought that we would never get there,” he told reporters outside the court.

“But the day’s come when I’ve got the peace of mind to start my life.”

Rik Morris, a spokesman for SA Attorney-General Michael Atkinson, said the government would read the lengthy judgment and seek legal advice before making a decision on whether to appeal.

Moogey ~ Ngarrindjeri Nation

This is a small and very heartfelt photographic tribute to a man who I have come to love and admire greatly over the last few years.

Moogey works tirlessly for justice, cultural renewal and healing here in South Australia. He is a member of the global archaelogical society and responsible for returning the remains of the Ancestors whose graves were robbed and bones shipped to museums across the globe….

His traditional land, like all Aboriginal Land in Australia , was invaded and stolen during settlement and for many years the Ngarrindjeri people have been dispossessed of the Land which was in their custodianship for thousands of years.

With his Talkinjeri dance group Moogey and his family perform many of the ceremonies and cultural events around the state and overseas.

These photos, taken over the last few days, depict the scope and range of Moogeys calling.

The first photo was taken on the Coorong…Moogey’s ancestoral land.
We filmed there this week as part of the oral history recording of Ngarrindjeri culture…

Moogey is demonstrating how this grass-spear is used for antiseptic healing:

This is the bush that, when dried, is used in the smoking cermonies:

Video and audio recording with an Archaelogist who was able to share his research based knowledge of Ngarrindjeri culture with Moogey and in doing so, triggered some of the forgotten memories he had of hunting and fishing along the Coorong as a small child…

Today members of the first Nations gathered to on the steps of parliament house to commiserate the absence of Aboriginal representation in South Australian parliament.
A letter is to be presented to parliament and prior to handing over of the letter, Moogey performed the smoking ceremony:

Community worker, Elder, cultural consultant, performer, ambassador, healer and talking circle-facilitator….Moogey is all of these things… He is also a Husband, Father and Family Man ….and Grandfather to his gorgeous little “Mimini”….

You can learn more about the Ngarrindjeri nation by clicking here….