Topic:
Gnowangerup
Pride in giving voice to a community
With warmth, dedication and a strong community-based work ethic, Robbie Miniter OAM has achieved an extraordinary amount for the Noongar and wider community of Gnowangerup and surrounding districts. Now a Gnowangerup Shire Councillor, Robbie’s story offers powerful insights into the life of a Goreng Noongar leader. From his work with young Noongars and families through the Wirrpanda Foundation to 12 years as Chair of the Gnowangerup Aboriginal Corporation and a leading role in establishing the Ngowanjerindj Ranger Program, Robbie has consistently dug deep to create change and support his community.
Yarning about fire
This story offers so much! It is a heart-warming yet serious yarn that shines more light on a way forward with fire.Here's Uncle Aden: "Kaarl (fire) was always part of our life ... We had a good life in camps and the kaarl made sure we were alright. We had all the comforts thanks to the fire."Join Uncle Aden Eades, Aunty Eliza Woods and PhD student Ursula Rodrigues as they sit and yarn about fire.
Aunty Averil Dean: Rich rewards from family, culture and country
Averil is immensely proud of her Noongar culture, and teaching school children about it has been an important part of her life. Growing up in a strong, loving family, Averil’s home life was happy. But during this time, she knows that older family members were experiencing major oppression, and she remembers the painful school yard taunt of ‘nigger’.
Farming family maintains a landcare tradition
Kingsley Vaux, the Shire of Gnowangerup’s Citizen of the Year for 2023, is a passionate leader in landcare, instrumental in founding the Yongergnow Malleefowl Centre. Growing up immersed in the bush, Kingsley credits his mother, Kaye, for instilling a deep love for nature, and highlights the importance of community involvement in conservation. Here’s Kingsley with Bill Bunbury OAM, digging deep on the need for a landcare ethic and what it takes to keep a small rural community on its feet.
Ezzard Flowers: Power drawn from his reconnection with country
Ezzard’s life began with family, culture and being on country, but he became a member of the Stolen Generation when he was taken from family at age eight and placed in missions for six years. Reconnecting with his family and country and the importance of working together for Mother Boodja are moving and powerful threads in Ezzard's story.
Ezzard Flowers: Reconnection and collaboration
As a child, Ezzard was taken from family and placed in a mission. Years later he faced the challenge of reconnecting to family and country, and charting his life. Now he’s a Noongar Elder with a powerful story about working together for Mother boodja - country.
Aunty Carol Pettersen shares her connection to Boodja
A Menang-Gnudju Elder, Aunty Carol Pettersen OAM JP has dedicated her life to Indigenous affairs, serving as a Justice of the Peace for 35 years and receiving numerous accolades, including the National NAIDOC Female Elder of the Year in 2008 and a Medal of the Order of Australia in 2022.Aunty Carol shares her deep connection to Boodja, or country. She emphasizes the importance of land, where stories of creation are woven into the landscape. Guided by the rhythms of flora and fauna, Aunty Carol learned the wisdom of her ancestors, passing down this knowledge through generations.Despite the challenges posed by colonial policies and environmental changes, she actively participates in land restoration efforts. She has witnessed the revitalization of the landscape and the return of native species, forging a powerful bond between her family and their country. For Aunty Carol, caring for Boodja is not just a duty; it is a source of identity and belonging.
