Mulu Maguydan

Mulu Maguydan Pronounced moo-loo moog-eye-dun

Meaning Story Stone From the Jandai/Guwar/Yagara languages which is spoken by the Nunagal, Goenbal and Ngugi peoples from Quandamooka Country.

Contents 3 4 5 6 7 8 10 11 12 13 14 16 17 18 19 20 24 27 28 29 30 32 33 34 35 36 38 40

Introduction by Margot Shave My Grandmother, Regina Turner by Aaliyah Turner My Dad, Augustine David by Bella David My Uncle, David Miller by Ally Ellard My Dad, Frank Loban by Dulcie Loban My Great-Grandfather, Ali Drummond by Frances Drummond My Nana, Jacqui Carter O’Leary by Chelsea Bashforth-Harmston My School Housemother, Sue Trevor by Elyne Tighe My Relative, GW by Lumina Kay Excursion: Queensland Museum and State Library My Great-Grandmother, Aka Kailang by Chantay Turner My Grandmother, Moilang Rosilind Annie Ware by Cheyanne Yamashita My Grandmother, Dianne Marshall by Tamara Harrison My Sister, Kealey Griffiths by Bella Griffiths My Parents, Anita Yamashita and Michael Nona by Gina Yamashita Reflections from First Nations students new to St Margaret’s My Grandfather, Athe Walter Nona Snr by Sofia Nona My Uncle, ‘Dad’ Laurie Nona by Ella Nona Incursion: Writers’ Workshop Incursion: Reconciliation Week Art Workshop Original Poetry Works by Charlea Smith My Aunty, Kerry Parker by Sharlotte Parker-Barry My Mother, Kerri-Lee Larsen by Kyara Bashforth-Harmston Me, My Grandfather and My Grandmother by Shemyliah Ahmat My Dad, George Nona by Robyne Nona My Aunty, Auntie Lou by Charli Jones Me and My Great-Great-Grandparents, Francis and Ella Woibo by Amaya Bowen Acknowledgements

In the spirit of reconciliation, we acknowledge the Turrbal and Yuggera Peoples, who are the traditional owners and custodians of the lands.

We acknowledge and honour these people, who have walked and cared for this land for thousands of years, and their descendants, who maintain their spiritual connection and traditions through storytelling.

We thank them for sharing their cultures, spiritualities and ways of living with the land in this place we all now call home.

We pay respect to Elders past, present and emerging.

May we continue to walk gently and talk respectfully together with each other.

Cover image: ‘The Dam Connections’ by Nikita Newley.

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Where St Margaret’s First Nations students come from.

Mulu Maguydan A collection of stories from the Elders of our First Nations students The stories of our Elders echo in our hearts and minds long after being shared.

Their triumphs, their hurts, their insights are meant to ground us and remind us that our loved ones have come before us. In a way, these stories take up residence in ourselves as we are fuelled by their memories and reminded that we owe a small amount of our success to their sacrifice.

The stories of First Nations people in Australia represent a link to the oldest civilisation on the planet. Many of these stories have sadly been lost over time.

It is through stories—traditional stories, stories of survival, stories of loss, stories of community, stories of family—that we deepen our understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture in an act of Reconciliation.

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students at St Margaret’s have gathered a collection of Elder stories here to share with the wider school community. These are stories from grandparents and great-grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles, and parents, and they have all been shared in good faith for the publication of this magazine.

We invite you in to spend time with our Elders.

Mulu Maguydan is an initiative born of a 2021 St Margaret’s Innovation Grant.

The project has been coordinated by Margot Shave and Noel Peinke.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware the following material contains images and names of deceased persons.

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My Grandmother, Regina Turner Aaliyah Turner | Year 9 Name: Regina Turner (Nee Dorante) Occupation: self-employed in partnership with her husband, who is the key creative in their business called Panipan Designs - https://www.panipan.com.au/ Childhood

I was the youngest of seven children. It had its good and bad sides; the good side was being spoilt and the bad side was that I was being told what to do. One of my favourite memories was coming to Hammond Island as a child from Weipa and spending Christmas with my father’s parents, his siblings, cousins, and family.

I loved swimming when the tide was a king tide, and I loved eating mangoes.

Another favourite memory was living in Weipa, and my favourite place to swim was Six Tunnels.

Culture

My clan is Waggadagum from Mabuyag and Daurareb from Murry/Mer Island.

Culture is important to me because learning my language and traditional practices, events and ceremonies are things that you must remember and learn because it is a part of you. Another reason why culture is important is because it tells us who we are, and where we come from, and we can identify our family through our totems. My totems are the Torres Strait Island pigeon and the crocodile, from my mother’s side, and the Frigate Bird and the Mackerel, from my dad’s side. There are other totems, but these are my main ones.

What was racism like for you?

When I went to Gordonvale State High School in 1984, I first experienced racism from a boy who was a bully. He criticised me for the colour of my skin. It was very hurtful and wasn’t a very good experience. It made me feel unhappy about my appearance, but now I’m older, I do not care, because I know what to say to them, but I did not know how to respond back then.

What are you most proud of having achieved in your life?

I’m proud that I have got a diploma in government. I’m proud that I graduated in 2010. I am also proud that in 2020 I achieved my certificate for training and assessment which means I’m a qualified trainer and assessor. These qualifications supported me while I have been President (since 2010) of the Mura Kosker Sorority, the leading Torres Strait Islands women’s organisation. The society provides emotional wellbeing for women and families, including domestic violence prevention, family wellbeing, old people’s action programs, and parenting programs. I am also a wife and mother to three and grandmother to seven. And finally, my husband and I started a small business, Panipan Designs, which was a real achievement, and we have been operating this since 2017.

What advice would you give to young First Nations people today?

Go to school every day, study hard, get a good education and graduate school and go to either TAFE or university. Find out what you love doing because that will help you choose the right job. Be strong and proud of yourself, your culture and your family, and if you have a problem, always share it with someone you trust. A quote from my mother (Kailang) I hold close to is ‘a problem shared is a problem halved, always laugh and have fun’.

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My Dad, Augustine David Bella David | Year 7 My father, Augustine (Gus) David, is a man of many talents.

He completed Year 12 at Kirwan State High School before serving six years in the Australian Army. He is currently an ultra-class haul truck operator and trainer at Callide Mine, where he also holds the responsibility of being a captain of the emergency response team. On his days off, he is an on-call auxiliary firefighter for the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service. Gus is a proud Torres Strait Islander man, who currently resides in Biloela, Central Queensland. I asked Gus some questions about himself and his childhood to gain some knowledge and understanding for myself and others and to provide some insight into First Nations people in Australia.

Q. How were you involved in your culture growing up?

A. Culture was all around me from an early age. I learnt to speak broken English (a mix of Creole and English) from my grandparents and father. My grandfather, William David, was an amazing dancer who taught us traditional song and dance. The women in my family cooked and taught us about customary foods.

Traditional underground cooking, Kup Murri, was learnt from the men during celebratory events.

Q. How did you pass your knowledge of culture to your children?

A. Teaching them dance from shared family videos, sharing stories, through song, organising to meet with family, and getting involved in cultural events.

Q. What did you want to be when you were younger?

A. A marine biologist as I’ve always had a connection to the ocean.

Q. Do you think it is ever ok to ask someone how Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander they are?

A. Only to gain an understanding of them and their connections and not for the purpose of belittling someone or because they don’t look the part. Perhaps we can teach each other.

Q. Do you think racism still exists in our country and why?

A.Yes, I think it does, and not just towards Indigenous people. Australia is a very multicultural society, and I believe there is ignorance in understanding the plight of others and their stories. Human beings assume to know people and the perceived shortcomings of their heritage.

Q. What do you think Australia needs to do as a nation to better understand Indigenous peoples?

A. I believe the history of our Indigenous peoples has to be recognised constitutionally, especially the warfare that took place during the settlement of our country, not to lay blame but for a better understanding. Teaching of events will enable Australia to have a true and meaningful history surrounding its First Nations people and its birth as a nation.

Q. Do you believe Australia Day should be moved to a different day to help with the mourning related to that date?

A. I do not believe it should be changed, but I believe that with the full history told, people can celebrate, mourn, and move forward together.

Q. Do you think being an Indigenous person changed your future compared to that of other Australians?

A. I think being Indigenous had the potential to put me in a position where I was behind other people due to the expectations of people of colour. If you don’t see it’s a disadvantage, you probably won’t ever feel it until it’s pushed upon you.

Q. What was it like growing up with parents of mixed race?

A. I guess on the family side, I didn’t feel a difference between white and black. For my mother, who is of Dutch heritage, it was tough as she always believed there was prejudice against her kids because of their skin colour. Once my parents separated and I was living with mum, it was quite funny to introduce people to my blonde, white mother. This was shocking to people at times. I love that I have strong heritage lines via both parents.

Q. Have you experienced racism in Australia?

A. Obviously and sadly, yes, there have been multiple times in my life where racism has popped up, starting at a young age on my football team. But the biggest standout was when I was about 13 and I was in a shop looking at buying a skateboard. I had been there a couple days in a row, cautious as to whether I was wasting my money buying the board. I was approached by the manager, who told me to leave the store, because clearly, in his mind, I wasn’t going to buy anything and was going to steal. I couldn’t understand this as I was well presented and courteous. My mother told me it was more than likely because of the colour of my skin.

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My Uncle, David Miller Ally Ellard | Year 12 David Miller or, as I like to call him, Uncle David, is a director of Kurbingui. He is currently retired and is an active Aboriginal community member involved with several committees, including the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission (CJPC), Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) Committee for the Brisbane Archdiocese, and the Catholic Murri Ministry (Centre Care Brisbane), where he has been a member for 24 years.

Enjoying a long lunch with Uncle David it’s easy to think he’s a lot like Gulliver when he starts to talk about his travels. Uncle started exploring the world with a trip to New Zealand as a young man and has since taken every opportunity to continue to travel to amazing places around the world. He has been to 30 counties and 47 cities. His story of being invited to attend the canonisation of Mary McKillip at the Vatican is particularly colourful.

‘There were 25 Aboriginal people who work with the Church who went to the canonisation. I really think Mary Mackillop was all for down and out people and the canonisation epitomises people working in that role and gives people hope,’ David said.

He speaks of the emotions he felt when visiting the unmarked monk’s grave of a young Aboriginal boy who was taken from his home in 1849 by the Benedictine Monk to be educated in Europe.

‘Many years ago, three Aboriginal children, with the blessings of their parents, were taken by the Spanish to Europe. Sadly, they all passed away. One of the young lads was buried at St Paul’s in the Vatican in Rome, and one of our church leaders did a blessing of the burial site.

‘It was certainly very moving to see the grave as their remains should be back on country,’ David said.

Learning about this story and the truth about Australia’s treatment of First Nations people has inspired David to uncover more about this chapter in Australian history.

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‘Because I hadn’t been brought up traditionally, I’m still finding out about our history. I just read the other day where the bottles were thrown around Alice Springs with arsenic in them. That’s getting these stories out there, not looking for sympathy, but just recognising what Aboriginal people went through.

‘A lot of people don’t want to know, they say get over it, but we’re just trying to do this with storytelling, bringing it out there what happened.’

On another journey he went to Nepal and visited the monastery at the Tigers Nest. Not all of Uncle’s great stories involve leaving Brisbane.

He was asked to give the Acknowledgment of Country when the Dalai Lama visited Brisbane in 2015 and presented his holiness with the hitting sticks he had used.

When not travelling, Uncle David worked for David Jones for 37 years, where he was highly respected, but recounts with a smile that he was refused a chance to become a black Santa for Christmas.

Kurbingui originally started as a boxing club in 2001, and now Uncle David works with a staff of around 60 people who coordinate programs for the First Nations community around Zillmere.

‘I’ve been with Kurbingui for about 20 years. We’re a not-for-profit organisation, helping with youth, domestic violence, family support and employment support.

‘Sadly, domestic violence has increased during COVID and the housing situation also causes a lot of stress for First Nations people.

‘I’d like to see Kurbingui keep on going to give young people a chance to get jobs. My main belief is education. I’m a battler for education.’

My Dad, Frank Loban Dulcie Loban | Year 10 Frank Loban was born on Thursday Island. He is from Guba Maluilgal and Maluilgal Nations and his totems are Thupmul (Badu), Dhangal, Thabu (Mabuyag), and Dhoeybaw (Boigu).

Frank Loban grew up on Prince of Wales (POW) Island across from Thursday Island. He grew up around motorbikes and going into the bushes to find deer and going camping with his family.

Frank was known for being the president of the Mulga Tigers rugby team, and his greatest achievement was going to university in Townsville. He has three sons and one daughter: Moigida (eldest son), daughter Dulcie (second eldest), then Simmie, and his youngest child Frank (Junior). Frank is working on his PHD, looking at the population of fish and crayfish in the Torres Strait back at home, and he loves his kids encouraging him to finish his study.

Frank loves to see his kids grow up on the Island and around the culture, and he loves his kids playing sports and achieving their dreams.

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My Great-Grandfather, Ali Drummond Frances Drummond | Year 8 The following is an excerpt from the book, ‘Life B’long Ali Drummond, a life in the Torres Strait’, by Samantha Faulkner with Ali Drummond.

Frances Drummond is Ali’s great-granddaughter and would like people to read his book and learn from it.

Ali was born on Thursday Island on 17 July 1917. He was a Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal man and was raised on Thursday Island during a time when the population comprised people of diverse backgrounds. Ali remembers that Malaysian, Chinese, Anglo-Saxon, Philippine and Japanese people were just some of the many nationalities living on Thursday Island in the 1930s.

Prior to World War II, there were no Torres Strait Islanders living on Thursday Island. Rather, they lived on the outer islands and came under the jurisdiction of the Protector and the Queensland Department of Native Affairs. It was only after World War II, along with the recognition of the contribution that Torres Strait Islanders made during the war, that they were allowed to live on Thursday Island. Ali’s family was classified as Malay, due to his father’s ethnicity and could live on Thursday Island.

Ali began school when he was about five years old, right where the current primary school stands today. Ali said that the school was ‘only for the black kids’ and the ‘white kids went to a separate school’. He attended school until he was 14 years old and completed a grade 6 education. Ali enjoyed his childhood, going to school and playing with his friends. At the same time, his father taught him how to fish, and he spent a lot of his free time going out to Blue Fish Point on Prince of Wales Island.

Ali’s father was a practising Muslim and one of Ali’s earliest memories is of his father praying. Although both parents were adherents to the Muslim faith, Ali was not taught their religion. Sadly, for the family, in 1931 Ali’s father passed away from a bad case of dysentery. Within forty days of his father passing away, more tragedy struck as his mother passed away from a severe asthma attack.

With no parents, his aunties (his mother’s sisters) took care of the children, and unfortunately, Ali and two sisters were split up from their three other siblings. He was not happy being apart from his siblings and took a job as part of a crew of a pearl lugger. This was to be the start of a long career on the waters of the Torres Strait.

Pearling had become a booming industry in the Torres Strait around the late 1800s and early 1900s. Ali was willing to learn the skill of pearl diving and worked closely with the Japanese pearl shell divers. He was to work hard and refine his skills and stay in the industry for many years.

After two years at sea, it was on the Sedney that Ali learnt to dive at the Darnley Deeps, an area just off Darnley Island. The dive was about 9.7 metres without reaching the ocean floor. The crew would drop a leadline to determine the depth.

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The divers would hang in an empty space, and if their bodies shook, they knew they wouldn’t get the bends. As Ali describes it, the bends were ‘like ants crawling all over you, then it hits you – “boom” all of a sudden’. Ali was taught to combat the bends by the Japanese divers. ‘If you weren’t feeling well after a dive and could feel the bends coming on, you stripped naked and put your feet in a bucket of water.

Then you got the cold back in your body.’

It was during shore leave from pearl shell diving that Ali met and courted his ‘first and only love’, Carmen Villafor. As they were both under 21, permission was required for them to marry. There was to be no honeymoon: Ali returned to the lugger the following morning after marrying Carmen in 1936.

In his early working years, Ali moved between pearl, shell diving and collecting trochus and beche de mer (sea cucumber), depending on the season. Ali remembers that during this time the waters of the Great Barrier Reef were clean and clear. You could see to a depth of two to three fathoms (about 5.5 metres).

Beyond that, the waters became too deep to see anything. Before World War II, the majority of the divers at the time were Japanese, although there were Malay, Polynesian and some Torres Strait Islander men, too.

When working in the deeper waters, Ali remembers that the seabed looked like a beautiful garden, with pearl shells scattered everywhere. When he was growing up, he’d been told by the old people that every place had a keeper or guardian, even at sea. He was a visitor there and, as a mark of respect, he should always ask permission to take some pearl shell, and when he had collected sufficient to say, ‘thank you’. Ali never forgot this practice and today his children carry on this tradition. Wherever they travel, they always ask permission when visiting a certain area and always say ‘thank you’ when they leave.

Ali went on to become a skipper and first diver of several boats.

He later left pearling in 1940 to join the Civilian Construction Corporation based on Thursday Island during World War II, before returning to diving in the 1950s. Ali never lost a diver when he was skipper, but other skippers weren’t so lucky or careful. On all the small islands from Darnley to Thursday Island lie divers’ graves, there being no medical checks at the time to determine the cause of death.

Ali and Carmen raised a family of seven children on Thursday Island. His granddaughter, Samantha Faulkner, writes of Ali in her book: ‘My grandfather is a simple man who has lived an extraordinary life. He has lived through various government policies regarding the treatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, as well as through significant historical times, like the rise of the pearl shell industry from the Torres Strait. He experienced the frontline of Australia during World War II. He has lived through times of recovery and nearly died on a number of occasions. He has always lived his life with dignity and respect for others. That is why Ali is respected today, not just by his family, but by many Torres Strait Islander people for his contribution to their history.’

Reprinted with permission from Life B’long Ali Drummond - A Life in the Torres Strait

By Samantha Faulkner with Ali Drummond.

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My Nana, Jacqui Carter O’Leary Chelsea Bashforth-Harmston | Year 8 I chose to interview my Nana, Jacqui Carter O’Leary, because she is the most passionate family member when it comes to her culture.

Q. How old are you?

A. I am 53 years old.

Q. Where do you live?

A. I live in Wynnum, Brisbane.

Q. Who are your mob?

A. I come from Kamilaroi and Bundjalung mob.

Q. What is your totem?

A. My totem is a goanna.

Q. What does it mean to you to be Indigenous?

A. It means that I am part of a unique culture and have a special connection with the land and the waters around where I live.

Q. Why do you paint?

A. I love to paint to tell my stories through my artworks.

Q. What do you paint?

A. My artwork is contemporary Aboriginal art of animals and storytelling that I learnt from my Elders.

Q. Do your paintings represent anything; if so, what?

A. Yes, they do. My paintings all tell a story and each one has its own story. I love to paint about my own journey, which has led me to teach many young ones how to paint and learn their path.

Q. Why did you become a police officer?

A. I joined the police force to help my mob avoid entering the justice system.

I have been involved in the police community for 25 years.

Q. What do you do to celebrate NAIDOC week?

A. I attend functions within the community and also assist in planning events with my local community.

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My School Housemother, Sue Trevor Elyne Tighe | Year 12 Everyone has a journey, each different, and each special. I interviewed my housemother, Sue Trevor, better known as Aunty Sue, and together we explored her unique cultural journey. Aunty Sue has been a very empathetic, helpful, and supportive house mum who holds a special place in the hearts of many St Margaret’s boarding students. The contributions to the wider Indigenous community she has made embody a journey well worth exploring.

After school, Aunty Sue knew, as an Indigenous woman, to make her family proud she would have to support herself and work hard. She was first employed at the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service where she worked in an administrative role; however, she felt she was not doing enough for those around her. In her spare time, she volunteered to help homeless people through the organisation Rosies.

It was here she first established how valuable her help was through offering access to the necessities as well as mental health support to those who needed it most.

Once realising the potential she had to make a difference in the lives of others, Aunty Sue wished to direct her focus back to the Indigenous community. She began a new stage of her journey by working within public schools in teacher support roles and community education counsellor positions. In this phase of her journey, she liaised with families of Indigenous students to ensure that they were receiving the best support from their families as they could. Her ongoing communication with school families was felt widely throughout the school community as Aunty Sue also cooked meals for students to take home and eat with their families throughout the week.

Embedded into her role within the Queensland education system, Aunty Sue believed there was still more she could do to continue the knowledge of Indigenous culture and heritage. During her time in Education Queensland, as well as volunteering at Rosies - Friends on the Street, she coordinated a dance group, which performed in the local community and other schools, and cooked meals for the school chaplain for local primary school families. She also volunteered as a part of the Wynnum working party on their NAIDOC committee, immersing cultural activities and celebrations into her community throughout NAIDOC week.

The most recent stage of Aunty Sue’s journey involves her becoming a housemother here at St Margaret’s. She plays a valuable role in not only our lives, but also the lives of her three children. Aunty Sue is passionate about supporting us in any way she can and is always encouraging us to do everything to the best of our ability.

When asked the question ‘What are your hopes and dreams for the future of First Nations young people?’, Aunty Sue replied: ‘I hope that they, too, will have hopes and dreams for a better future, creating their own opportunities, and maintaining a close connection to their identity, culture, and community.’

Through her vast understanding of the lives of young Indigenous Australia, she believes in our young people and is hopeful and confident about their future.

Aunty Sue’s inspiring nature is one that is admired by many. Her journey is full of commitment, enthusiasm, and passion, and certainly proves that everyone’s journey is both different and special.

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My Relative, GW (George Wayne): author/journalist, former celebrity columnist for Vanity Fair magazine Lumina Kay | Year 10 Q: What was growing up in a big family like and how do you think it shaped you?

A: We were the best family ever! I don’t think any of us thought we were a big family. It was only six of us and the two boys were away at boarding school from the age of twelve. So, my sisters were the only ones (mostly) at home. It was six of us, plus Percy, who was the most incredible houseman, gardener and cook my mother had employed to help her out. Only Mum would be smart enough to hire a houseman who could not only do housework, but yard work as well. Percy was amazing. We had the most incredible childhood, especially growing up in the Caribbean. Hopefully one day your mum could take you kids.

Q: What is your favourite interview?

A: My favourite interview will always be with the Hollywood A-List superstar Mark Wahlberg, who I still consider one of my closest friends today.

Q: What’s the hardest part about journalism?

A: The hardest thing about being a writer is when you have writer’s block or are just too lazy to put pen to paper. But when the deadline is absolute like this one, you get it done!

Q: What is your favourite thing about home?

A: My favourite thing about my tiny home in Manhattan, West Village, is waking up every morning and being thankful that I am still here and still feel okay, going into my shower with my favourite radio station Q103 blaring from the radio in my bathroom and I shower and meditate and get the best ideas while dreaming. The shower beating on my head is actually like being under the Dunn’s River Falls in Ocho Rios. Another must if you ever visit Jamaica!

Q: Who was your biggest inspiration in terms of writing?

A: My biggest inspiration as a writer all came from my amazing father, who I couldn’t wait to come home to every day so I could get the Daily Gleaner newspaper from his Samsonite attaché case and his weekly ‘TIME Magazine’, international edition, which he always brought home from work. My love and my career all began with my dad coming home with the newspapers and the foreign magazines. True story!

Q: When did you know you’d ‘made it’?

A: I realised I had made it when I first became famous! I was seventeen years old and on the Munro College championship quiz team of JBC Schools Challenge (which is a legendary live TV show in Jamaica). Being on Schools Challenge is like being on American Idol, but only for smart people! It’s a high school quiz bowl competition the whole country tuned into back in the day. In 1977 and 1978, our team made it to the finals two years in a row! This was my first brush with being ‘famous’. I was getting fan mail from people writing to me because I was the quiz team star, and all the boys who used to try to bully me as a freshman all wanted to be my best friend when I was on the quiz team.

The first time I became internationally famous was when Claudia Schiffer, a famous supermodel, sued me for 30 million dollars in 1992, all because I printed a triptych of her in my artisanal, home-made ‘zine called ‘R.O.M.E.’ Today, it’s a collected and cherished magazine of the definitive ‘90s counter-culture avantgarde of New York City. An issue of ‘R.O.M.E.’ was the subject of an NFT Auction in Miami Beach late last year.

Q: What was your first interview like?

A: My first celebrity interview was with Iman for my column ‘Resident Alien’ for the Jamaica Daily Gleaner.

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Q: How did you get started in the business? Did you have problems with being taken seriously?

A: No one takes you seriously when you don’t have produced and published work to show them. So, I started R.O.M.E. and that catapulted my career!

Q: When did you know that this was the right job for you?

A: The right job for anyone is doing a job you love doing so it never feels like a job.

That’s advice for everyone. Do what you love doing, Andy Warhol once said, and you will be able to make a living from it!

Q: Do you think you’ve influenced other POC to follow in your footsteps?

A: GW has influenced many! Nothing makes me feel older or happier than when some kid tells me they moved to New York to pursue their dream just from reading my interviews in Vanity Fair for 24 years.

Q: Do you have any exciting plans coming up/to look forward to?

A: I am once again in creative fecund and so grateful and so thankful that my Act III is shaping up to be as #epic as I keep dreaming it will be! Lots of exciting creative genius continuously flowing, and I pray to God to keep me healthy and make the rest of my family even more proud!

EXCURSION Queensland Museum and State Library As part of the Elder Stories project, St Margaret’s Torres Strait Islander students were invited to become part of the Queensland Museum’s Island Futures exhibition, exploring and celebrating contemporary Torres Strait Islander identity in 2021 and 2022. The exhibition was curated by Rhianna Patrick, freelance journalist and broadcaster, and Imelda Miller from the Queensland Museum.

St Margaret’s students were invited to respond to the question, ‘How are you fulfilling the hopes and dreams of your Akas and Athes?’ (grandmothers and grandfathers). The Torres Strait Islander students met with Rhianna and Imelda one afternoon after school to write their responses, and then on an excursion on 19 July, they saw their words built into the exhibit in the Queensland Museum.

The reaction of the group at seeing their names and words as part of the exhibition was electric and was described by Sofia Nona as ‘a huge privilege. I felt incredibly proud to be included in a project that represented the culture and history of the Torres Strait Islands so beautifully.’

In the afternoon session, we moved to the State Library and were given a tour or kuril dhagun, the Aboriginal Education Centre within the library and shown how to use the library database to access the library’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander collections when researching stories on their Elders.

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My Great-Grandmother, Aka Kailang Chantay Turner | Year 10 I am interviewing my grandmother, Aka Regina (Gina), about my great-grandmother, Aka Kailang. Aka Regina was Aka Kailing’s seventh child and last daughter.

Aka Kailang was my great-grandmother (my grandmother Regina’s mother). I met her and Aka Kailang carried me when I was born in 2006 and we stayed on Hammond Island. She used to sing to me ‘Au Chante Ma Belle’, which means to sing my beautiful.

Aka Kailang Ruth Dorante (nee Ware) was a proud Wagadagam woman originally from Mabuiag (Mabuyag) Island. In 1960 on her 20th birthday, Aka Kailang married Athe Bertram (Buster) on Hammond Island. They met on one of Aka Kailang’s trips to Hammond Island to play basketball with her friends.

Q. What was Aka Kailang’s background?

A. Aka Kailang’s ancestral line stemmed from the Wagadagam tribe from Mabuiag Island in the Torres Straits. Mabuiag Island is exactly 69.6 kilometres from Thursday Island when travelling by boat.

Her parents were Aka Magina (nee Marou, Mer Island) and Athe Cook Ware (Mabuyag Island).

Aka Kailang was raised on St Paul’s Village, Moa Island, as a child, then her family relocated to Thursday Island. Her siblings are Marie (Nina), Nancy (Pudi), and only brother, Ray (One Boy), Dorothy (Genie), Angela (Pathai), Kailang, Lillias, Stella (island adoption to Namok family).

Q. What do you think Aka Kailang is most remembered/known for?

A. Aka Kailang was known and remembered for her support of women and children in helping to prevent them from suffering domestic violence and sexual assault. She was herself a victim of domestic violence. She passed away in 2007, but today people in the community still talk about Aka Kailang.

She was a very strong, influential woman. She influenced all women and girls. Aka Gina, her daughter, admired her advocacy for women and children’s rights. Today, Aka Gina is the elected Mura Kosker Sorority Inc. President, an all-women sisters’ organisation, a position she has held since 2011. Aka Gina wants to continue Aka Kailang’s legacy.

Q. What do you think about Aka Kailang’s hopes and dreams for the future?

A. Aka Kailang’s hopes and dreams for the future were keeping families strong by empowering women and girls. She wanted to start a family business and support her husband in building a Torres Strait freight line company. Her husband was renowned for being a well-seasoned skipper, taking cargo and goods to the outer islands in the Torres Strait. She supported his adult learning at TAFE and made sure he got his Master Class Skipper qualifications.

She knew what she wanted. She wanted her children to be educated, strong, independent and speak up for their rights and to help others. She wanted women and children to be safe in their homes and community. She also made sure that her children were educated and had the best start in life. She was a bookworm and loved reading books.

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Two of her daughters have been elected as community councillors: Aka Margie at Dauan, and Aka Nancy at Hammond Island.

Q. What inspired Aka Kailang to help women suffering domestic violence in the community?

A. She was a victim of domestic violence and she wanted to help other women suffering in silence. She worked with other strong community women who also wanted to talk about family and domestic violence, educating families to be aware and stop the violence. ‘Walk away, cool down’, ‘Break the cycle’, ‘DV is not our culture’ – these where some of the themes they would use to promote the prevention of family and domestic violence.

The men were worried about the women’s movement in the Torres Straits community. Along with her co-workers, she visited every community in the Torres Strait to talk about domestic violence and people would say she was very passionate and determined, but her bark was worse than her bite.

Q. What did culture mean to Aka Kailang?

A. Aka Kailang wasn’t a very traditional language speaker, but she could understand what people were saying.

She believed domestic violence was not our culture. In the past, men and women had always respected each other and worked together. When the Torres Strait was settled with arrival of white men and women, our traditional and cultural lifestyles and our lore (law) were forever changed.

She believed in the culture and kinship. She corrected an elected chairman at a community meeting, saying she was his Aunty and demanded respect. This former chairman on Mabuiag shared this story with Aka Gina last year, and that’s how he remembered meeting Aka Kailang for the first time.

Q. What challenges did Aka Kailang have to overcome? How did she overcome these particular challenges throughout her life?

A. When Aka Kailang was involved with the women’s movement in the mid-1980s, a collective of strong women gathered, then the first women’s organisation was born – Mura Kosker Sorority Inc. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) funding body, which is now decommissioned, had funded the woman’s organisation. ATSIC was led by a board of men.

The men were afraid to tell her about the funding cuts. They were worried and debated who would tell Aka Kailang about the funding shortage. She would always fight for women’s rights and questioned why.

Living on Hammond Island, which was her husband’s community, she was treated as an outsider, but she raised above any community and family negativity.

She would hold rounders (softball) games with her sisters, start sewing classes for women, bring women’s meetings to Hammond Island and organise community events such as Christmas celebrations and discos for children at the community hall.

Q. What was Aka Kailang’s childhood like?

A. Aka Kailang was raised at St Paul’s and eventually she and her family moved to Thursday Island when she was older. Her father, Great-Grandfather Athe Cookie, was a baker. She used to talk about her mother Aka Magina, a traditional bush medicine woman, mid-wife, and healer.

Aka Kailang then attended school at St Anne’s in Townsville. When she finished school, she helped her parents and her siblings through financial and moral support.

She met Athe Buster, my grandfather, Aka Gina’s dad, when she went to Hammond Island to teach the women to play basketball in the 1960s.

Q. What was Aka Kailang’s favourite memory growing up and living in the community?

A. She would often fondly talk about growing up at the Ware Corner at St Paul’s.

Her sisters and cousins’ sisters had a special song about them growing up. She used to talk a lot about swimming at Boo Boo Creek as a child, fishing and food gathering, also doing household chores and collecting firewood.

She was an independent woman, especially when Athe Buster was out on the boat. She had to feed her children and make ends meet. She did this by gathering firewood for the Catholic Church to make money while he was away.

She would yarn about how they had to row a boat from Hammond Island to Thursday Island, following the tides to help them cross the channel easier. There were no powered boats in those days.

Q. What motivated Aka Kailang in life?

A. Aka Kailang was motivated by her family (her sisters, her husband, and children). She was educated and that’s how she knew ‘education is the key’ to make a positive change, create opportunity and give back to the community.

Q. How was Aka Kailang inspiring to Aka Gina and me?

Chantay: Aka Kailang inspired me because she fought for the rights of women and girls, who were going through family violence and child abuse. She contributed to the community by working for the Torres Shire Council, the Department of Foreign Affairs, and the Aboriginal Hostels, also known as Jumula Dubbins, and she was also part of a movement to create the Mura Kosker Sorority, which is the leading Torres Strait women’s group that would much later set up the shelter called Lena Passi Women’s Shelter, Star of the Sea Aged Care Home and other community organisations.

She also won the centenary medal for her distinguished service for helping victims such as females who were experiencing family violence and child abuse in the Torres Straits and NPA (North Peninsula Area). She was a very successful woman and I want to be just as successful as her and also give back to my wonderful community and the next generation. Her favourite saying was that ‘women can do anything’ and she was also a very inspirational woman to the community.

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My Grandmother, Moilang Rosilind Annie Ware Cheyanne Yamashita | Year 9

Name: Moilang Rosilind Annie Ware (known as Rosie) Country: Torres Strait Islander, Australia Occupation: Contemporary Visual Artist Designer

Can you share some memories from your childhood?

Growing up on the beach at Holloways Beach (north of Cairns in Far North Queensland).

Can you remember some key experiences in your life that shaped you?

Starting primary school (Cairns North Primary School) and attending Grade 8 to 10 at Cairns State High School shaped my life from my early beginnings. Then I went to Cairns Business College and completed a diploma course before getting my first job in Canberra when I was only 17 years old.

What are you most known for?

Being a visual artist.

What are your greatest achievements?

Having my two daughters because they were born healthy; just seeing my grandchildren because they are healthy; and mixing in the art world and meeting lots of people through my art.

What are your hopes and dreams for the future?

I hope that my family and partner will stay happy and healthy. I also hope that my children and grandchildren will have a good education and get good jobs that pay well, and they will be independent.

Who inspires your art?

I was born with a natural talent that I didn’t know I had until over the years it developed through being creative in my garden and in my life. This creativity just grew, inspired by where I live in this beautiful paradise on Thursday Island.

What does culture mean to you?

Culture is how we live in the environment. It is the manner in which we do things as a family. It’s my lifestyle, being a Torres Strait Islander and, above all, looking after the Elders and caring for each other. For example, when someone passes away in our community, we don’t put a tombstone up for the first year. Instead, we cover the grave with things the person liked; for example, shoes, purses. At the funeral we wear floral shirts and island dresses and colours or team shirts that the person loved. After someone has passed away, the in-laws (brothers and sisters-in-law) are responsible for organising the funeral to allow the immediate family time to grieve.

Then, after 12 months, we take these items home and a tombstone is unveiled. The family holds a dinner to thank the in-laws for their contribution and to signal the end of the grieving process.

Have you ever experienced racism?

It was the early 1970s when I was in grade 3. I grew up at Holloways Beach.

When we moved into Cairns town and I went to Cairns North Primary School, the teacher and kids were already in class and there were no Indigenous kids in the class; it was all white Australians. The headmaster took me to the class and introduced me to the class. Ms Boil welcomed me and sat me down next to this

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white Australian girl who started pinching me from under the desk. She did it three times, and after the third pinch, I decided to pinch her back. After me pinching her back, she stopped.

What challenges have you had to overcome?

Challenges that I have overcome is having two daughters without having my mum around. I had to read books about how to take care of a baby. Another challenge was being a Torres Strait Islander businesswomen, which is still is a challenge to me. I have survived, but there are always challenges for me.

What was your childhood like?

It was WONDERFUL. I HAD ABSOLUTE FREEDOM, growing up at Holloways Beach. I didn’t have a lot of friends, but with the friends I had, we would go fishing, swimming in the seas, and make cubby houses. We loved looking for berries in bush, staying outdoors all day and coming home when it was all dark.

My Grandmother, Dianne Marshall Tamara Harrison | Year 9 Dianne Marshall is a well-known Waluwara Aboriginal woman, who currently lives in Mount Isa. She is one of ten children. She attended primary school at Dajarra and completed grade 10 at Charters Towers. She relocated back to Dajarra to live with the family. She met her life partner in Dajarra and followed him to work in the pastoral sector. When they commenced their own family, it was time to relocate to Mount Isa to give their growing families better access to education. The family still lives in Mount Isa. Q. What challenges have you overcome?

A. Generational trauma through living under the Act, and through past government legislation and Acts.

Q. What has been your greatest achievement?

A. I secured employment as a teacher aide within the education system, which gave me the ability to influence and guide a young person through their educational journey.

Q. Do you have any regrets in life?

A. No, simply live life to the fullest.

Q. What role does culture play in your life?

A. Our family travels back to traditional lands for camping and fishing but to also educate grandchildren about their cultural connection to land. The children learn how to hunt and gather for the family. But it is also important to inform the younger generation this is the land of their ancestors.

Q. What are your hopes and dreams for you and other First Nations young people?

A. For all cultures to reunite, as racism is still a significant issue that we are faced with daily.

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My Sister, Kealey Griffiths Bella Griffiths | Year 12

As I head into my final year at Maggies alongside my peers and friends, I am faced with a lot of decisions. What university will I end up at? What degree will I be studying?

What colour will my formal dress be?

While I might only know the answer to one of these questions with certainty (white!), I have started to think about what the next steps of my education journey will be. The past five years at St Margaret’s, supported by Yalari, have been lifechanging, and I can only imagine what the future holds – or I can pester my sister and see what she has been up to.

My big sister, Kealey, graduated from St Margaret’s in 2018 and seemed to have everything figured out. She went straight into university, started getting good grades and has had some of the most amazing jobs and roles. She knows where she wants to end up, and she is well on her way to getting there. Fingers crossed I am in a similar boat in three to four years. I look to her as a role model (and second wardrobe) and asked her a few questions with hopes of providing a mini-guide to life after Maggies.

Q. How did you feel once you had graduated?

A. Relieved, excited and a little worried about what was to come. It felt like it was just last week that I had unpacked my room for the first time up in the Year 8 dorms, and suddenly, I was walking through the arch on the way to Last Boarder Dinner in the Arts Centre Foyer. How time flies.

Q. If you could, would you change anything about your senior years?

A. If I could change anything, it would be to study visual arts. I studied maths and science – these were the subjects I was considering studying at university, but since graduating, I have come to realise life isn’t so cut and dry. You don’t have to have just a single passion – you can have them all. Now I work in an Art Museum and am studying a Bachelor of Science. I paint in my spare time, but I am also a research assistant for UQ’s School of Earth and Environmental Sciences.

Q. What are some of the experiences you have had after school that align with your diverse passions?

A. Beyond science and art, I also have a deep passion for the advocacy of autonomy, agency and health literacy among vulnerable groups, including youth, women, and Indigenous Australians. I have been able to work with numerous

companies, including Health Consumers Queensland, Children by Choice and the Children’s Hospital Foundation on projects that aim to better understand and respond to the diverse and complex needs of Australians.

I have also been a part of numerous UQ projects focused on Indigenous Australian culture and knowledge. I authored a chapter in UQ’s Language and Relationships guide on Traditional Knowledge and have been the lead research assistant in developing a new course for the Bachelor of Science. ‘Centering Indigenous Knowledge in Science’ should be available to study by the end of this year, and I wholeheartedly recommend taking the course to any students who end up at UQ. Q. How did you find out about these things? How can others get involved in similar ways?

A. In my first year of university, I went to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit (ATSIS) unit on campus and simply asked for help. They were more than happy to guide me through all the opportunities at UQ and continue to be helpful even after three years on campus. The ATSIS unit was where I heard about CareerTrackers, an Indigenous mentorship program that connects students with internships and opportunities relevant to their degree. Through both the ATSIS unit and CareerTrackers, and the numerous Indigenous academics, mentors and students I have met along the way, I have been able to learn more about my culture than I could have ever imagined and have been exposed to amazing opportunities.

Visit the ATSIS unit (UQ) or the equivalent at your university and talk to people.

Get involved with CareerTrackers. (QUT – Oodgeroo Unit; Griffith University – GUMURRII Student Success Unit).

Q. What is your end goal? Where do you want to end up?

A. I want to be working in vulnerable communities and leveraging my skills and experiences to help those around me. At this point, it seems this goal will manifest in a career as a doctor. I am close to graduating from my Science degree and will start a Masters of Public Health (Indigenous Health) in July ’22. After this, I have four more years with my head in a medical textbook.

Q. Do you have any advice for students as they graduate and move onto their next step in their journey?

A. Say yes to opportunities, without fear of failure, but know when to say no, without guilt.

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My Parents, Anita Yamashita and Michael Nona Gina Yamashita | Year 8 Anita Yamashita is a young Torres Strait Islander and is also my mother. She is known for disciplining the children around her. Some of her achievements are moving away from home on Thursday Island to boarding school in Charters Towers at the age of 13 and out of her comfort zone.

As her children grow up, she wants to see them happy. The people who inspire her are her children, family and friends.

Culture to her is reconnecting with our ancestors. She has had many challenges, including raising children who, she says, laughing, ‘have selective hearing’! Her childhood to her was fun and carefree. My favourite memory with my mum is when she doesn’t nag me. She inspires me to be a good person and pay respect to other people. She is an incredibly caring and respectful person and I love having her in my life.

Michael Nona is a young Torres Strait Islander from Badu Island and is also my dad. My Dad is greatly respected, especially for his willingness to help out within the community and for donating time to help out at community events such as football. He is also known for ensuring cultural traditions such as island dancing are passed down to younger family members, including language. His greatest achievements are myself and my siblings. His hopes and dreams are for me to obtain a better education than he had and have endless opportunities. My dad is inspired by his parents, my grandparents, for their levels of respect for everyone. To my dad, culture is his identity, and he loves keeping it going for the next generations. My dad has overcome the challenge of using technology as part of his career as a council worker, as he did not receive this knowledge at school. In the near future, my dad will have to overcome leaving the island and moving down south to gain experience and grow in his career. His childhood was spent mainly outdoors connecting with the land and sea. His favourite memory with me is taking me camping to other surrounding inner islands such Prince of Wales (POW) Island, and Goody Island. When we’re camping, we dive and hunt for dugong and turtles.

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Reflections from First Nations students new to St Margaret’s

Monique Bindoraho

Chloe Crook

Tina Pearson-Nona

Where are you from?

Where are you from?

Where are you from?

Do you speak any other languages other than English?

Do you speak any other languages other than English?

Do you speak any other languages other than English?

Favourite memory?

Favourite memory?

Favourite memory?

Hammond Island in the Torres Strait.

Creole.

Spending time with my family and friends.

What would you like to do after school?

Be a chef or a rugby player.

What would you like to share about your culture?

Island dancing.

Who do you most admire in your family or community?

My mum, dad and grandparents.

Favourite story growing up?

Dora the Explorer.

Blackwater, Queensland.

No.

When we travelled around the Northern Territory and saw all the Aboriginal culture and animals.

What would you like to do after school?

Go to Med School and become a doctor.

What would you like to share about your culture?

My family is originally from NSW. They grew up along the Mookai River at Caroona (near Quirindi).

Who do you most admire in your family or community?

My nanny (Kitty Talor).

Favourite story growing up?

I love hearing stories of when my nanny was growing up.

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Hammond Island in the Torres Strait.

Creole.

Playing tackle football with my brothers on the beach.

What would you like to do after school?

I want to be an NRL player.

What would you like to share about your culture?

Island dancing, sit-down dancing.

Who do you most admire in your family or community?

My family and how they hold their culture strong.

Favourite story growing up?

Gelam.

Nahlia Pearson-Garnier

Bella David

Abbi Young

Where are you from?

Where are you from?

Where are you from?

Do you speak any other languages other than English?

Do you speak any other languages other than English?

Do you speak any other languages other than English?

Hammond Island in the Torres Strait.

Yes, I speak Creole.

Favourite memory?

My favourite memory is when my family and I had to say goodbye to my baby brother and his mother, when they moved to a different island. It was a beautiful clear day and we had a send-off with family.

Biloela, Queensland.

I can’t speak any other languages fluently, but I have learnt Japanese and I’m learning Chinese at the moment.

Favourite memory?

When my older sister Tilly and I were hiding behind the couch and rubbing sunscreen everywhere.

What would you like to do after school?

What would you like to do after school?

What would you like to share about your culture?

What would you like to share about your culture?

I would like to play football until I make the NRL. I would like to share island dancing. I would like to teach some of my language and I would like to teach cultural games.

Who do you most admire in your family or community?

I admire my parents because they have taught me everything I know, and they help me get stronger.

Favourite story growing up?

Become a zoologist.

One of my relatives was a King. He was a King from my island, Iama Island (Yam Island) .

Who do you most admire in your family or community?

All my family as they are always proud of me no matter what I do. They always encourage me to do my best and always remind me that I am a strong, kind and caring person.

Koa tribe, located in Winton.

No.

Favourite memory?

When the girls where younger we would spend time out where our father grew up – the family station south of Roma on Mandandanji country. We would be riding horses and motorbikes as well as swimming in dams and creeks.

What would you like to do after school?

Something related to sport.

What would you like to share about your culture?

That Aboriginal culture is the oldest living culture in the world.

Who do you admire in your family?

My dad.

Favourite story growing up?

My favourite story growing up was the story my dad told us of his childhood and what he experienced.

Gelam.

Mulu Maguydan\21

Reflections from First Nations students new to St Margaret’s

Chloe Young

Sienna Irons

Ashley Blackman

Where are you from?

Where are you from?

Where are you from?

Do you speak any other languages other than English?

Do you speak any other languages other than English?

Do you speak any other languages other than English?

Favourite memory?

Favourite memory?

Favourite memory?

Koa.

No.

Spending time over the Christmas holidays on Stradbroke Island, Quandamooka Country, surfing, swimming and exploring the headland, seeing dolphins, turtles and lots of other animals.

What would you like to do after school?

Anything related to sport.

What would you like to share about your culture?

That it is the longest living culture in the world.

Who do you admire in your family?

My dad.

Favourite story growing up?

My favourite story was the Australian Christmas story.

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Sunshine Coast, Caloundra.

No.

Playing basketball with my family as the sun set behind us.

What would you like to do after school?

Become a teacher.

What would you like to share about your culture?

I’m Kabi Kabi-Butchulla and our mob are from Fraser Island and our Elder is Nana Towcha.

Who do you admire in your family?

Everyone, especially my parents as they are hard-working. I look up to my siblings as they are role models for me.

Favourite story growing up?

The story about the Glasshouse Mountains.

I am from Waarnyi, Gurang and Biri and Townsville.

No.

Hanging out with my cousins at 1770.

What would you like to do after school?

I’m interested in being a doctor, like my dad.

What would you like to share about your culture?

It is the oldest living culture in the world.

Who do you admire in your family?

My dad because he has a never-give-up attitude.

My favourite story growing up?

My favourite story was the Rainbow Serpent and how that story was told.

Tira Cronk

Camielia Dunbar

Cheeky 1 Hopper

Where are you from?

Where are you from?

Where are you from?

Do you speak any other languages other than English?

Do you speak any other languages other than English?

Do you speak any other languages other than English?

Favourite memory?

Favourite memory?

Favourite memory?

Christmas Creek.

No.

Seeing my friends after a long time.

What would you like to do after school?

Travel, perhaps to America.

Who do you admire in your family?

My nan, Barbara Pink. She’s hard-working and always supports her family.

Brisbane.

No.

When my mum took me to the Tiwi Islands for the first time.

What would you like to do after school?

Go to university.

Who do you admire in your family?

Maleny.

No.

Going to a Ninja Warrior course with my family.

What would you like to do after school?

Be a dairy farmer.

What would you like to share about your culture?

My mother.

I want to learn more about Aboriginal culture in Maleny.

My favourite story growing up?

Who do you admire in your family?

Rabbit Proof Fence.

My mum and dad.

My favourite story growing up?

Stories from Dad’s childhood.

Mulu Maguydan\23

My Grandfather, Athe Walter Nona Snr Sofia Nona | Year 10 Athe Walter Nona Snr was a respected Elder of Badu Island. Not only was he a familiar face in the community, but he was a role model and mentor to many.

He was a husband, brother, father, and grandfather to many lucky little kids, including myself.

Athe was born on Badu Island, Wakaid Village, on 1 April 1923. He was the youngest of 13 children with eight brothers and four sisters. He lived on Badu his whole life but had familial and bloodline connections to many places such as Saibai Island and Samoa. Growing up, Athe didn’t have many opportunities when it came to education. He enrolled at the age of five and attended school on Badu Island.

However, at the age of fourteen, he left school to work and make money to help his family.

Athe went on to achieve many things in his lifetime. He joined the pearling and trochus industry which was big in the Torres Straits during this time. He worked as a trochus diver on his brothers’ sailing dinghy and dived for trochus at an area known as Boy Donkey, and later worked on several lugger boats firstly as a pearl diver then as a skipper. At the age of 17, Athe enlisted in the army and became a member of the only Indigenous battalion Australia has seen in its military history.

He served as a marine pilot during World War II. In 1951, Athe married his wife of 57 years, Mrs Harriet Lati Nona (nee Cowley), at St Marks Church. They went on to raise eight children and numerous grandchildren on their home of Badu Island.

Athe was remembered for many things – his storytelling about his gardening, pearling, WWII, his humour, his hunting skills, and his devotion as a Christian.

But most of all, Athe was remembered for his significant role in education on Badu Island.

Athe gave a large amount of his land on which to build the school, and so today, Badu Campus is located right next to my Aka and Athe’s house. Growing up, especially around the time when my Aka was sick, I and my siblings would just run to their house after school and stay there. Athe Walter went to the school every day. He visited classrooms, counselled students, attended all parent meetings and conducted home visits to talk to parents. Athe was a very strong advocate for quality education in the community. If he missed a day not coming to school,

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Meanings

Athe: Grandfather

Aka: Grandmother Tagai: The legendary figure, Tagai, is now a constellation in the southern sky, traditionally referred to by the ocean-faring people of the region for navigation. Tagai is also described

by Elders as the ‘heavenly clock’. Tagai directs the seasonal changes and its visibility in the night sky throughout the year tells Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the region how to adapt to the wind and tidal movements, and the best times to hunt, fish, plant, and harvest. the staff and students would go looking for him. Athe knew every child and staff member, and everyone felt proud and privileged to call him Athe Walter. Many successful past students said that Athe’s constant encouragement played a major role in their successful schooling. Athe was also the Badu Island School P&C President for over 30 years.

Athe was considered a silent achiever. He rarely boasted about all his accomplishments. He was a very humble man. However, he was recognised for his roles many times by many people. In 2000, Athe was awarded the Centenary Medal by the Governor General of the Commonwealth of Australia, Peter Hollingsworth, for ‘Contribution made to Australian Society’. He was also awarded with a Certificate of Appreciation by the Badu Island Council for his professionalism, commitment, wisdom, and advice on Badulgal traditional culture and customs as an Elder at the Badu Island Community NAIDOC Day celebrations. In 2003, Athe Walter was awarded the Outstanding Service Award by the Peninsula Regional P&C Council for ‘Outstanding contribution and excellent service to education communities and Parents and Citizens Associations in Peninsula Region’. He was also presented with an Area Award in the 2003 Showcase Awards for Excellence in recognition of his significant contribution to improving student educational outcomes. In 2005, Athe was selected as one of twenty significant Elderly Australians to be interviewed for the book ‘Inspiring, not retiring’. He was the only Indigenous Elder chosen for this project. In 2007, Athe Walter entered a competition for selecting a name for the new Torres Strait College. Athe proposed the name ‘Tagai’ and won. The college is now named ‘Tagai State College’. In recognition for his contribution to education, the college has named their Year 7 scholarship ‘The Athe Walter Nona Scholarship’. Athe Walter’s contribution to education in the Torres Strait is just one of the many reasons why he touched so many people’s hearts. I am incredibly proud to call such an illustrious man my Athe, and I am so happy to be able to share his legacy.

My only hope is that, one day, I could do something to continue this legacy and help people the way my Athe did.

My Mum, Sophie Nona

My Cousin, Elijah Jackonia

Q. What is your name and who was Athe to you?

Q. What is your name and who was Athe to you?

Q. What is your favourite memory with him?

Q. What is your favourite memory with him?

Q. What is the best advice he ever gave to you?

Q. What is the best advice he ever gave you?

Q. Why do you think education was so important to Athe?

Q. Why do you think Athe was so respected by everyone around him?

A. My name is Sophie Nona and Athe Walter was my dad.

A. Going to school every day with him.

A. To be humble and respectful.

A. Because he wanted for the children. He wanted them to achieve whatever they wanted to achieve and get a good education. Athe used to always talk about when he grew up, all they had was a slate and a lead pencil.

Q. How would you describe him?

A. Always humble. Very respectful. He was always greeting people in the community, saying hello. And he loved children. He was an inspiration to many, including myself. That is why I work with children today.

Q. What was one of his greatest achievements in your opinion?

A. My name is Elijah Jackonia and Athe Walter was my Athe.

A. Working in the gardens.

A. To be humble and respectful.

A. He was an Elder and he was always talking about the importance of culture and God. Q. How would you describe him?

A. He had high expectations for everyone, but he was very kind at the same time.

Q. What was one of his greatest achievement in your opinion?

A. His role in education on Badu Island and his role as P&C President.

A. Giving his land to build the school on and the ‘Athe Walter Nona Scholarship’.

Q. What do you think Athe was most known or remembered for?

Q. If Athe was here right now, what do you think he would say about our education?

Q. Why do you think education was so important to Athe?

A. If Athe was here, he would continue to say finish your education, make sure you graduate and get a good job for yourself and help your people.

Q. Do you think Athe would be satisfied with how much education in the Torres Straits has improved?

A. His kindness.

A. He just wanted the best for people. He was always talking about how different education was for him compared to now and so he just wanted the best for every individual. They had very limited resources.

A. He would for sure. He always used to say he wanted a high school in the islands and on Badu Island, so kids wouldn’t have to travel far away from home to get a good education, and he always talked about how he wanted culture taught in the classrooms as well.

Q. Why do you think he was so respected by others?

A. He was a community person. He was very easy to approach, very open and never held things back. He was always helping people.

Q. What do you think Athe was most known or remembered for?

A. For his role in education, how he worked with kids and the advice he gave. When you ask people about him, they will always say how they remembered the tapping of his walking stick outside the classrooms. That’s how you knew Athe was at school.

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Goegapa Kabminaik (Dance Till Day Light) Left Right, Left Right, Left Right, Left Right Goegapa Kabminaik, Dance till Day Light The beat of the drum, a sensation to my ears The spirit of our ancestors calling after all these years.

They’re telling me to move my feet To dance along with the drumbeat.

Left Right, Left Right, Left Right, Left Right Goegapa Kabminaik, Dance till Day Light My culture is my identity, our stories told through songs and dance You want to know what I am saying, just watch the way I move my hands The way I stomp my feet, the way I tilt my head, Until the dance is over, and then I start again.

Left Right, Left Right, Left Right, Left Right Goegapa Kabminaik, Dance till Day Light.

Poem by Sofia Nona Image: Goegapa Kabminaik (Dance Till Day Light) Artist: Laurie Nona Snr.

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My Uncle, ‘Dad’ Laurie Nona Ella Nona | Year 11 I chose to interview my ‘Dad’, Laurie Nona. He is my uncle from my mum’s side. This is his story.

Name: Laurie Nona Snr. Occupation: Councillor of Badu Island, artist, art centre manager.

Q. Who/What has inspired you to be an artist?

A. I was never inspired to be an artist when I was younger, it was just something that came naturally. My uncles, older brothers, and brothers-inlaw would tell me stories as a young boy, and I would paint little images in my head from these stories I was told growing up.

Q. How important is it that Torres Strait Islanders stay connected to their culture through art?

A. It’s important because art is like a story board. It is an archive of our language, our story, and connection to the sea and island country.

Q. What would you like people to know about art in the Torres Strait?

A. That it’s important because it documents life experiences, language, and story connection to country. Art acts as a voice, a political voice to express the needs and felt needs of our people.

Q. What does your culture mean to you?

A. My mum, Aka Rita Nona (deceased).

A. It means who I am. It is my identity. It’s not what my culture means to me. It is how I make the meaning of my culture real. Because culture is a gift. It’s not something that I own. It’s a gift that was gifted to me. It’s like any other gift, and I have to gift it on to my kids.

Q. Why do you create art?

Q. What do you hope for the future of the Torres Strait Islanders?

Q. Who was influential in your early life who has shaped the person you are today?

A. Today, I create art to document my life and life experiences. It is a message to my grandchildren and great-grandchildren for when I won’t be here anymore; I will still be alive in my artwork. It also works therapeutically and helps me relax.

A. I want to see the quality of life that we deserve. I believe that Torres Strait Islanders need to be independent of all the tiers of government restraints and should be in charge of their own destinies.

Q. What does your beach Koedal mean to you and why did you call it Koedal?

A. Koedal means family, culture, and island life. It was always called Koedal. Athe Walter (deceased) told me it was called Koedal. Koedal means crocodile. Everybody else called it Kudul and I had to correct them. Athe Walter said it’s not Kudul, it’s called Koedal. This is because there’s a stone that looks like a crocodile. When I saw the stone, I realised it does look like a crocodile. There’s a myth and legend story attached to the stone.

Q. What type of art do you create?

A. I create any type of art and I love all art mediums. I mainly do lino, but I also paint on canvases and can do screen printing, sketching, lithograph, and monoprinting. The motto ‘anything goes’ is what I go by, as long as it’s art, I can do it!

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INCURSION Writers’ Workshop After spending time talking with Elders over the September holidays and researching stories for the magazine, the students were invited to work with renowned poet and writer Ellen van Neerven and journalist Rhianna Patrick. Ellen began the afternoon by reading some of their poems from their poetry collections: Heat and Light, Comfort Food and Throat.

Over an afternoon, each student was able to share writing, ideas, some original poetry and ask questions of both guests about how to craft their submission to Mulu Maguydan.

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INCURSION Reconciliation Week Art Workshop Nikita Newley, from the Wuthati tribe and Darumbal people, shared her time with St Margaret’s First Nations students during Reconciliation Week in 2021.

As an artist-in-residence during Reconciliation Week, Nikita conducted a workshop with our students and invited them to explore their connection to country through art.

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Original Poetry Works Charlea Smith | Year 11 These original poems by Charlea Smith explore ideas around identity, race and connection to place.

Black Person

Writings on the wall

Man-made horrors

Listen to me when I speak, I am a black person with a tongue, I choose how I use it, I use it not to lash at you, But to help you see things, All from my point of view,

Simple writings, On the wall, Take the paint, Scratch the rock, Ancient writings, On the wall, Spray the paint, Etch the cement, Read it all, All writings, On the wall.

Sitting in the grass, Waiting for nature to eat me, Take me back to before, All things were man-made.

Do not dismiss me, I am a black person with a brain, I think and therefore I am, Do not leave my thoughts, At the doorstep where they don’t belong, Believe in me and listen to me, Please don’t ignore me, I am a black person with a heart, I am human like you and your family, Please do not brush me off, Not when I cry nor when I smile, I am like you, Please don’t shun me, I am a black person who has bled, I will not be hurt for your fun, I am me and you should know, That I love you for you too.

The Broken Me I need someone to hold my hand, Walk me through my life, Help me through all that chains, Me to my oppression and past, Take my hand and drag me through, The trauma and lives I’ve lived, I am me, But I am broken.

ABCDEFGHI Take a glance at me, I only see what labels I, A B C, aborigine, Black, culture, D E F, definitely, Eccentric, foolish, G H I, gay, Hellishly irate.

Dysart A clock on the wall ticks by as dogs bark, The town is silent otherwise, It’s early morning as workers leave, And small children just awake.

Tired Days in a City Being tired in door, Getting tired of indoors, There’s nothing outside, Of these wooden doors.

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Discovery of Internet The discovery of Internet may have destroyed me, Not for me, but for others, Others may say the Internet destroyed me, “You are not the same, It is the fault of those on that device of yours,” I must reply in my own defense, “It was not them, but only me, I found things, Things that I understood, Things that completed me and things that I knew, Information! All information!”

They don’t like this answer, not at all, no, not at all, They protest and blame the things, To take away my accountability and my honesty.

The rights to me have been secured.

The art of moving on, The art of growing old, The art of accepting time, The art of taking back me.

Kid Keep your head up, kid, Things aren’t so bad, Keep your smile on, kid, People don’t like sad, Keep on going, kid, Don’t slow down, Keep it up, kid, The act is for them.

…I am left behind.

TICS

From Bedourie to Dysart to Brisbane, The world was slow and small, As I grew, the world grew with me, It began faster and busier, Bigger and quicker, I struggled to keep up, Then the world got all too quick, It grew faster than me, It swept me up, It knocked me about, My body had grown, My mind had hurt, The trauma stopped me, But the world did not, It grew and grew and grew, So big and bright, Eventually from small town to city, City! City. City…

It is now a city, The world I knew is lights and smoke, No longer trees and dust, The world is too fast and I, … I am left behind.

Out of control, It’s not me, I didn’t mean, That thing I said, Out of control, It’s not me, I didn’t mean, The things I did, Out of control, It’s not me, I didn’t mean, The thing I yelled, Out of control, It’s not me, I didn’t mean, To hurt you.

White Privilege Take it all back, Take it all back, Take it all back, Take it all back,

A A small town, A small child, A big world, A big hurting, A sad town, A crying teen, A big world, A big issue, A town, An adult, A world, A story.

You said it all, You said it all, You said it all, You said it all, You meant it, You meant it, You meant it, You meant it, Do not do it, Do not do it, Do not do it, Do not do it, You abuse it, You abuse it, You abuse it, You abuse it.

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My Aunty, Kerry Parker Sharlotte Parker-Barry | Year 8

‘Respect the people who love you and take advantage of the opportunities out in the community to help you achieve your goals/dreams. With a positive mind, you can do anything you set your mind to.’ Aunty Kerry, 2021.

My Aunty Kerry was born in October of 1977. She was raised in the small community of Mount Isa, located in the Gulf Country region of Queensland.

Her Aboriginal connections are to Kalkadoon (Mount Isa) and Pitta Pitta (Boulia) tribes.

She is the eldest of seven children and is a mother to three daughters – Shaqeigha (25), Chontelle (24) and Kerry Jnr (21). From her daughter Chontelle, she has one grandchild Axton (2). She is a well-respected Elder within the Aboriginal community in Mt Isa, and she is always up for a cuppa (tea) and a yarn (talk).

During community events such as NAIDOC Week and Reconciliation Day, Aunty Kerry is a very enthusiastic woman and will always get involved when something is happening.

During her early teen years, Aunty Kerry would go out to stations where family lived and worked. She also spent some time in a remote community located in Doomadgee, which used to be a mission school up until the 1960s. This is where she would stay with family and learnt the way of their culture. This is where Aunty Kerry would also learn how to hunt, clean, and cook goannas, kangaroos, and bush turkeys.

Another favourite memory of hers was as a teenager, when she spent time near the Northern Territory border on Station Number Three where her uncle, aunty and grandparents lived and worked on the land. There, she would wake up early to go and help them out with the daily jobs. One day, her uncle told her she was big enough to learn how to drive; she was around 14 years old. She was excited and got into the driver’s seat and started the car not realising the car was in first gear and jumped the car. She drove from Station Number Three into Camooweal, which was a three-hour drive, ‘bunny hopping’ the car when stopping at the many gates.

But she was happy that she had the opportunity to learn how to drive.

During her later years, she learnt how to take care of her siblings and learnt the household chores of cooking, cleaning, and everyday duties. However, in her late teens and early 20s, she started her family with her first daughter born in 1996, her second in 1997, and her third child in 2000. She finished her schooling years in 1995.

During her days she would go out bush with her family searching for water holes and ancient artefacts just outside of Mount Isa, around Cloncurry and Camooweal. She started this as a young girl with her family and still continues searching to this day. When out in the bush, they would find bush tucker. Some of the bush tucker included witchetty grubs, concaberries (like a blackberry), and wild bananas.

One of her favourite memories as a child was in the wet season just after the floods. They went out to Fountain Springs, which is the local watering hole located 100km from Mount Isa. Once they got off the main road onto the dirt road, they would be allowed to ride in the back of the car. Because of all the rain, the dirt road was wet and muddy. When they drove through it, the mud flicked up the side and hit them. So, when they got to the water, they would jump straight in for a swim.

When all her children started school, her first employment was in the fast food/ retail sector.

In 2005, she worked with the Queensland Government in the Youth Justice system working with young Indigenous children. Her work included helping these children to connect and be educated about the cultural ways in their tribe and community.

She finished with Youth Justice in 2021 and went on to another government job working for the Department of Seniors, Disability Services and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, where her role is Senior Project Officer. She helps Indigenous people gain employment and obtain training and certificates in jobs they are interested in. She also helps businesses with advertising and promoting their local business as well as finding grants and funding to help them succeed.

Aunty Kerry has also studied during her working career and has achieved a Diploma in Leadership for government. This was one her proudest achievements.

Another of her greatest achievements, which she is very proud of, was when she bought her very own home in 2009. She has worked hard in her life to achieve her goals in her career and family life. She was a single mother to three daughters and worked full-time for the most of their childhood. She was able to manage with a good balance of work and family life to also help her own children achieve their childhood dreams.

Aunty Kerry has very few regrets. However, one of her biggest regrets was starting a family too soon. She wished that she had made sure she had bought a house and car and made sure she had full-time employment before starting a family of her own.

Aunty Kerry’s goal in life is to work until she has enough money to travel around Australia.

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My Mother, Kerri-Lee Larsen Kyara Bashforth-Harmston | Year 9 My mother, Kerri-Lee Larsen, is a proud Bunjalung and Kamilaroi woman. She graduated grade 12 to become a chef by trade. Later, she went on to work in the milk business with my dad and still does. My mum still cooks her delicious food for us. When my mum was younger, she didn’t have a lot of people around her growing up; she only had her mum, her dad, and her step mum. Her parents taught her how to respect her things and the others around her. When my mum was younger, her mum and nana taught her everything she knew, from being taught how to paint to being told stories of her Elders. My mum could remember going out to Winton every school holiday to help her pop at the shearing sheds. My mum wasn’t always a proud Indigenous person. During her schooling years, she was ashamed of who she was and sometimes it was due to the racist names Indigenous kids were called when she was younger. After my mum left school, she started to accept who she was and her culture. One of her proudest achievement was raising three healthy and happy girls in a safe environment. A key experience that has shaped my mum was when she was around 11 or 12 years old and went to Uluru with some other Indigenous kids around the same age.

There she learnt the traditions of other tribes and learnt more about her culture along the way. My mum’s advice for young Indigenous people is to be proud of who you are and where you have come from and never let anyone tell you different.

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Me, My Grandfather and My Grandmother Shemyliah Ahmat | Year 11 My name is Shemyliah Ahmat Pearson. I am from Coconut and Hammond Islands in the Torres Straits. My grandfather is a proud Torres Strait Islander from a small, beautiful island called Coconut Island, which is also known as Poruma. I remember my grandfather as strong and intelligent; he was always positive and encouraging and loved to teach his grandchildren and great-grandchildren all about our culture so that we could pass it down to the next generation. My grandfather loved being outside hunting and loved island dancing. I loved spending all my time with my grandparents because whenever I’m with them I feel happy and I’m always smiling.

I grew up with a lot of cousins, nieces and nephews.

My Aka (grandmother) talks about my Athe (grandfather)

My Aka is Anima Pearson. She was born on Darnley Island, and raised at Nepean Islands in the Torres Strait. Most her schooling was on Stephen Island from Grade 1 to 6.

Q. Who was Athe to you?

A. My dad was Anthony Dorante, also known as Togo to most of the people in the Islands.

Q. What was Athe known for?

A. I remember my dad was a working man who grew up on Darnley Island. He was very passionate about sea life, working the sea to provide for the family of 14 (nine girls and five boys).

Q. What did Athe encourage and tell you when you were younger?

A. My dad has always encouraged us to work hard to provide and help out because we were a very big family. I have always also been encouraged to go out in the boat to work for some income.

Q. Why was Athe well known in the Torres Strait?

A. My dad was a well-known person to the Torres Strait with a very huge family.

He worked most of his time collecting sea cucumber and cone shell (Trocus shell), which was very popular and was sold for income for most of the family, before finding my mother and settling on Nepean Island.

My Mother talks about my Athe (grandfather)

My name is Maria Pearson. I was born on Thursday Island and raised all my life on Hammond Island.

Q. Who was Athe (grandfather) to you?

A. He was my father. I’m the eighth child in the family. I have four brothers and seven sisters.

Q. How do you remember Athe (grandfather)?

A. My dad was a very hard-working man. We would work as a family to get maintenance done round the place. He was a man of the sea and would take us out at night spearing for crayfish. He loved fishing on the weekend and having my family together.

Q. Why was Athe well known in the Torres Strait?

A. My dad was well known in the Torres Strait for his cultural background, connecting with language, singing and dancing. He did projects in the community to keep it safe and clean.

Q. What did Athe encourage and tell you when you were younger?

A. My dad was very encouraging and respectful to whatever career I would accept in life. Whatever we were doing that was best for ourselves would make him proud.

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My Dad, George Nona Robyne Nona | Year 8 My dad, George Nona, is a proud Torres Strait Islander. He is 45 years old and is a biosecurity officer in the main office on Thursday island.

Growing up for him was a bit difficult. He grew up on Badu island, Torres Strait, with six siblings. When he remembers his childhood, he describes a very hard life without electricity, a shower, fridge or freezer, and relying on a septic toilet and gas stove. Despite these hardships, they were very family-orientated and always together. School was a struggle in his junior studies because he was fluent in his traditional language and used it every day on the island. This made it very hard for him to learn in English.

For high school, he had to move away from his island home, something he considers as one of the major obstacles he has overcome in his life.

‘I was always in the lower classes as they did with schools back in my day, separating the smart ones and the not-so-smart ones. My report cards always came out in the sound/limited marks range. Because of those marks, after I finished my senior studies, I then motivated myself to beat those marks and be successful,’ he says.

‘Because of this motivation, I applied for a traineeship with Australian Customs and Border Protection. I didn’t really know what they did but getting the traineeship made me feel at home because of the nonIndigenous staff who were so supportive in helping me out, as I found it very hard to speak English amongst them. One thing I promised myself when I did my traineeship was that I would do this and this would make a change: if I can do it, then any other Indigenous person can also do it. I commenced the traineeship in 1995, and in 1998, I graduated and was appointed a full-time customs officer. Today, I use my story to motivate others who say to themselves that they are nothing, but my story has changed their course to become successful.’

My father worked primarily in the operations section. He then transferred across to the Department of Agriculture, Water, and the Environment as a team leader – biosecurity officer. Having only spent three years as a team leader – biosecurity officer, he then applied and was appointed to be the assistant director of the department with over 30 staff members under his leadership.

He credits his leadership skills from being a senior pastor of Assemblies of God Church on Thursday Island. He then recruited more Indigenous people into the department and also encouraged and assisted others to find employment. Coming from a lifestyle of not having much on the table to eat and having very limited English and low marks on his report card, my father always appreciated the struggles of his parents who tirelessly attempted to work only to feed him and his siblings.

Overcoming these hurdles has made him push to be who he is today and he’s a strong believer in ‘growing a nobody into a somebody’.

Life in the Torres Strait has changed in his lifetime with different leaders having different ideas about changing the former ways to the modern ways of today’s generation. Underneath everything is a way of believing in one another and always working to lift up our people across the Torres Strait.

My father is always ready to share his life story with his children and hopes that his grandchildren will also hear his story and understand how growing up on the island with little English, limited after school activities and no tutors also affected his ability to do well in school. He will leave a legacy for them to follow and then they will pass it on to his grandchildren. The day when he said nothing would stop him from succeeding was the day that determined his future, and the future of his children and his children’s children.

My dad’s biggest accomplishments were becoming a permanent customs officer, followed by starting a family and marrying his wife. His life story has always motivated him even to a point when he shares it with others. He gets emotional because his journey was very hard, but the results were unexplainable.

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My Aunty, Auntie Lou Charli Jones | Year 10 In this piece, Aunty Lou tells me about her story as a child.

She was a part of the Stolen Generation. Her story is about how she met her sister – my grandmother (Nana Robyn) – for the first time. When Nana Robyn found out that she had a sister she was amazed. Nana Robyn desperately wanted to meet her, so she did some research and found out where she lived. When Nana Robyn explained to Aunty Lou how they were related and that they were sisters, Aunty Lou was in denial. She didn’t believe her and wanted nothing to do with her. After a while, Aunty Lou allowed herself to meet up with my Nana Robyn and they yarned.

Unfortunately, Nana Robyn has now passed away; however, before her passing they started to reach out to each other more often and grew close. This is the story of Lucille Doyle Currie as told to Charli Jones.

When I first met your Nana Robyn it was 1987. Graham was around 7 or 8 years old. Pop’s friend Ron Hinds (deceased) met during football and began to play together. After a few interactions with one another, Pop was invited to a barbeque with Noel (Aunty Lou’s husband). His sister was married to Ron Hinds. One day Alison, who is Noel’s sister, was talking about how me and your Nana’s father were Delaney’s. She found it odd that we both had the same surname. Alison knew a lot of different Aboriginal families around and she said well my brother is married to Lucille Doyle/Curri and her Dad is Steven Delaney. That conversation was unreal. Alison rang me and said Lucille you need to come over I got some news for you; she didn’t tell me what it was for a start and I didn’t realise how important it’ll be until she explained it to me afterwards because I was quite stubborn. I had the surprise of my lifetime. She said it’s your sister Robyn, Lucille. Obviously, I said WHAT?!

My memory was quite vague but all I knew was that it blew my mind. All I felt were so many emotions. All I’d wished for had come true. A sibling. My family.

Nana Robyn was around her early 30s when we finally met. I couldn’t believe I was meeting my sister on my dad’s side. ‘Lou, I want you to come visits me for a barbeque. I want you to see our family. You can come any time at my place’ was what she said to me. Overwhelmed I said hold on, I just met you and only just found out that I had a sister after growing up without any recollection of even having one. I was shy. I was just trying to process everything because it had such a huge impact on me. It was mind blowing. It touches my soul whenever I review that memory. Your Nana Robyn said something to me that I will never forget. She said: ‘I won’t give up on you. I won’t give up. When you are ready you can come over to my place to meet everyone.’ That key phrase enabled me to trust her. I will never forget that. ‘When you’re ready Lou you are welcome to come and have a barbeque at my place to meet family.’ Her kindness and understanding of my need to take it slow struck my heart like no other. I’ll never be able to meet someone like her ever again. It’s such a big journey. Trying to recover and learn about everything that’s happened within our family. But your Nana Robyn never gave up on me. That was one of the most important things in my life. I will never forget that. Although we didn’t know each other properly, she always made me feel like I was her sister. Robyn was the first sibling I knew. The first sibling I was able to get close to. The first person I confided in. Then Aunty Betty and Uncle Morris came along. Robyn always had this special trait that lured everyone in. She had a strong spirit. I never knew my family, I used to always look for them. I would cry when

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I was a kid, because I just wanted to meet my mum and dad, my brothers and sisters, and you couldn’t do anything about it. You just had to cope.

A few years before our encounter during Ron Hinds and Alison’s wedding, your Nana Robyn said that she saw me during the service. We didn’t know each other then. She looked over and said to me years later when we grew closer that ‘I saw you at the wedding remember? I immediately thought that you looked like Aunty Gwen.’ Shocked I said, ‘oh, don’t!’ and that was the truth.

Your Pop was at the wedding too with your Nana. Noel and Alison are brother and sister, and Pop and Nana were friends which was why the connection was so big. It was unreal to see my sister. I cried the day I found out. So many emotions surged within me, it was indescribable. All those years of yearning to have some sort of family came true. That was why it was a huge deal for me.

Both my mum and dad’s sides of the family are big. They are both Aboriginal, so I had both big tribes, but never really got to know my family until after I left the home. (Homes are the institutions that operate as orphanages for young Indigenous and non-Indigenous kids). I’ve been in the home for 18 years of my life. Once I’d finally left the homes, I went to Bindara lodges and stayed there at the hostels. Many young Indigenous and non-Indigenous kids who were 18 stayed there at South Brisbane Mater Hills with me. We lived in a hostel for girls. I was in

the hostel until around 21 because you were under the age limit back in the mid70s. At least we had a place and a roof over our heads. I don’t think I’ve ever had a home. When we all left the homes, we had nowhere else to go.

I was one of the lucky children. If it wasn’t for my Aunt Nancy that I had in my life.

Some kids weren’t blessed with the angel I had. It was just sad. She looked after me.

Acted as a friend, a mother figure, a role model. Each story is different, and each pain is different. Each institution around Australia is different; some were horrible.

They were so bad. The missions were terrible. Missions were bigger and much more restricted. They were still government controlled.

Till this day your Nana was well before her time because some people don’t realise what gifts they held in their hands. She was able to read people effortlessly and just knew what they felt. I’ll forever thank her for that. Between your Pop and your Nana, it would’ve been another 10 years before I met all of you guys. My mother lived at the Wacol Barracks for Indigenous peoples and that’s where the Arthur Gorrie Correction Centre is now. They had barracks there for Aboriginal people to live there. They didn’t want them living in the city; they had a 6 o’clock curfew.

So, they placed people in different areas away from everyone. Lots of Aboriginal families lived out there; my mother and my grandmother on my mum’s side lived in the barracks. The hardest thing to find out further Murri way. See, I was the only black kid in the Aspley homes. I was shocked when three little black kids showed up at the home and started living with us because I was the only child of colour back then. They took me under their wing and became the closest thing to my family. Steven, Leanne and Wayne. Their mother would come and visit them in the homes at lunch time. I would sit with them all and their mother asked me my name. That day she went back to her home and told my Nana Currie that I was living there. The Murri grapevine was unreal so my Nana Currie and my Aunty Lisa from my mother’s side came over to see me. I was astonished. I had family nearby. She only visited me once. She tried to get me out, but she couldn’t.

there. I’m just glad I met my family. It is the most powerful feeling in the world.

And I hope one day many people can hear our stories and be willing to listen.

I chose to interview Aunty Lou because, despite everything she has endured and suffered throughout her childhood, she never let her optimism, kindness, and love fade. Her caring and gentle heart made her stronger. She never failed to put a smile on my face and always made us kids laugh whenever we saw her and for that I’ll forever be grateful. My fondest memories are made during our visits and I couldn’t imagine it being any other way. I’ve learnt a lot from her amazing stories she has told us over the years, but I personally think her tale may be the most heartfelt but important one yet.

But your Nana Robyn told me to take it slow. Whenever you’re ready you can come over. I heard this so many times so eventually I was like ‘ok, ok I think I’m ready now’. I have a beautiful photo of us finally meeting family. It’s with me always. It has my dad, Uncle Morris and Nana Robyn, Aunty Betty, Mum Shirley and my kids are in it too. Our dad passed away the year after I met him. It’s a bit sad because I didn’t get to know a lot about him, but you know at least I met him and that was one good thing.

There was so many emotions, so much mixed thoughts. It was too much sometimes which was why I stood back for a little while. It just freaked me out.

When you’re a kid you don’t realise how much your mother and father make a difference in your lives you know? I’m so thankful I was able to meet you all. To meet you, Charli, your Nana Robyn, Aunty Betty, Uncle Morris, and the Delaney family on my dad’s side. It takes so much out of you when you’re young and now I’m just like, I have too many families. Every time you met an uncle or an aunty or a cousin it’s kind of just knocked me back a few times. It’s a big step up from having nobody to having plenty people who love and care about you. Oh, my goodness there is just so many.

But you know Aboriginal families are still fighting today, for the treaty of our people and for the treaty of this land. The combination between non-Indigenous and Indigenous fellas had a long time to get to where we are today, but there is still a lot of discrimination out there. It can be very subtle too, sometimes, but it’s still

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Me and My Great-Great-Grandparents, Francis and Ella Woibo Amaya Bowen | Year 7 Q. Where are you from?

A. I am from two different clans/tribes, one of which is the Dharrpa clan. This clan, one of the 13 different clans in a town called Hopevale located in Far North Queensland, is my dad’s side of the family. The second tribe is the Thanakwith tribe, which is the tribe my mother’s father’s mother is from. They are traditional owners of the area around Weipa. Not only that, I’m also from Thursday Island in the Torres Strait.

Q. Do you speak any languages other than English?

A. I speak two different languages. When I am back at home, I speak Creole and Guugu Yimithirr, which is the language from Hopevale that we speak.

Q. Favourite memory?

A. My favourite memories are the ones when I’m with my whole family, whether that’s my mum’s or dad’s side of the family. I have such a great time with all of them. I love laughing, giggling, and just creating memories I’ll never forget. For me, the best memories are the ones created with family.

Q. What would you like to do after school?

A. After school, I would like study something at university. I would also like to work in the business world. That means at some stage I would like to own my own business whether that’s a café or something else. As a side option, I would like to be a photographer or something in the sports industry.

Q. What would you like to share about your culture?

A. I would like to share that my great-grandmother (Lillian Bowen) published a whole book about our language Guugu Yimithirr. She also wrote another book named Gudaa Bula Dyugi-dyugi Activity Book. In English it’s called ‘the dog and the chook.’

Q. Who do you admire in your family?

A. Someone I admire in my family is my mum. My mum is a hard-working woman who works for Rio Tinto as an electrician. She won the 2017 National NAIDOC Apprentice of the Year. The reason why I admire my mum is that she puts 100% into everything she does, whether that’s sports or in the workplace. She’s really passionate about what she does. She’s supportive of others around her and helps them reach their goals. That’s why I look up to her for the things she’s achieved and the support and encouragement she has given me. I hope someday I can be just like her – such a strong, powerful, and passionate woman.

Q. Favourite story growing up?

A. One of my favourite stories growing up was about my great-great-grandparents from Hopevale. On the 17th of May 1942, the Guugu Yimithirr people of Cape Bedford Mission were forcibly removed and evacuated during World War II. It has been 80 years since the evacuation and my great-great-grandparents, Francis and Ella Woibo, were just children when this occurred. Francis was 14, and Ella was just eight. Today, they are 94 and 88 years old respectively, and together, they still recall the stories of the evacuation. My great-great-grandparents recall some events on the 17th of May 1942 and the days leading up to their evacuation where they have recollections of boarding a steamer (ship) at the Cooktown wharf.

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They travelled south to the Woorabinda Aboriginal Settlement. My great-greatgrandmother tells of her journey on the steamer where she was thirsty and there was no water or food provided on the steamer, and she was too afraid to ask for water. Once disembarking the steamer, they were put onto trains and it was at a train station that she saw a tap dripping water; all she could do was watch.

My great-great-grandfather tells of how they had to leave what little possessions they had. He tried to gather his father’s spears and woomeras but was told that they would not be allowed to take them with them. Their dogs were left behind also. It was at Woorabinda Aboriginal Settlement that the Cape Bedford People were under the Aboriginal Protection Act. They lived in camps, and under this authority, they had to seek permission for the necessities of life such as food, water, warm clothing during winter, baby clothing, warm blankets, and permission to travel from one community to another. Sometime later, they returned to their home, now called Hopevale. My great-great-grandmother left her brothers behind, back around the areas of Central Queensland. She later received a message from her best friend Molly that they were all being transferred back home. Today, my great-great-grandparents still live in the same area (house block) that they cleared for themselves on their return. They have eight children, 31 grandchildren, 90 great-grandchildren, and 14 great-great-grandchildren.

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Acknowledgements The year-long process of gathering submissions for Mulu Maguydan relied upon the goodwill and energy from a large number of people. We have been fortunate to hear the stories of Elders, worked with authors and journalists, and been involved with art workshops as the students drew inspiration for their own submissions.

We would like to thank the following organisations for working with us on this project: The Queensland Museum

The State Library of Queensland kuril dhagun – Indigenous Education Unit within the State Library of Queensland St Margaret’s Marketing and Communications Team

We would also like to thank the following individuals for their time and for sharing their work: Rhianna Patrick

Ellen van Neerven Aunty Lesley Williams Nikita Newley Imelda Miller Dr Sandra Delaney The families of all our students involved in the project The St Margaret’s First Nations students

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St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School 11 Petrie Street Ascot QLD 4007 Australia Telephone: +61 7 3862 0777 Facsimile: +61 7 3862 0701 mail@stmargarets.qld.edu.au www.stmargarets.qld.edu.au

St Margaret’s School Council Ltd ABN: 69069684019 CRICOS Code: 00511K A School of the Society of the Sacred Advent