WEBVTT - Uncle Gerry Turpin - NAIDOC Week | Honouring First Nations Heritage and Our Elders and Exploring Traditional Bush Medicine and Cultural Wisdom. 0:00:00.480 --> 0:00:02.960 This podcast is brought to you by on Track Studio. 0:00:08.720 --> 0:00:12.719 Welcome to Yarning Up, a podcast that showcases stories of 0:00:12.840 --> 0:00:18.919 First Nations excellence to help us learn and unlearn Australia's 0:00:19.000 --> 0:00:24.560 history to work tillwards a better future. I'm your host, 0:00:24.760 --> 0:00:29.080 Proud Barbara woman and founder of Black Wattle Coaching and Consulting, 0:00:29.560 --> 0:00:37.200 Caroline col This podcast was taped on the sacred, stolen 0:00:37.680 --> 0:00:41.600 and unseeded Aboriginal lands of the Runjuri people of the 0:00:41.720 --> 0:00:47.479 Coolan Nation. I pay my deepest respects to them, my elders, 0:00:48.040 --> 0:00:52.960 your elders, and all owners of country, of this beautiful 0:00:53.000 --> 0:00:55.400 place that we call home. 0:00:57.600 --> 0:00:58.840 Well, I am. 0:00:59.120 --> 0:01:03.400 So appreciative and I guess humbled to speak to my 0:01:03.520 --> 0:01:06.600 next guests. I think, out of all the people that 0:01:06.640 --> 0:01:10.720 I've spoken with, my uncle Jerry is someone who is 0:01:10.760 --> 0:01:14.480 a huge mentor of mine because he's just doing so 0:01:14.600 --> 0:01:19.919 many deadly things for mob community and our family back home. 0:01:20.200 --> 0:01:23.440 So I'm so grateful to sit down with you unk 0:01:23.680 --> 0:01:26.959 and yeah, really excited to connect in this way. So 0:01:27.040 --> 0:01:29.800 thank you for being with me today, Uncle Jerry. 0:01:30.360 --> 0:01:31.520 Well, thanks for the invitation. 0:01:32.120 --> 0:01:35.000 Yeah, I know that this week and have the last 0:01:35.000 --> 0:01:38.400 few weeks, you've been really busy out on country and 0:01:38.640 --> 0:01:41.480 it's so beautiful. We're down south, but we get to 0:01:41.560 --> 0:01:44.520 follow along all the work that you're doing, and it 0:01:44.600 --> 0:01:49.640 really fills me with Yeah, so much pride and so 0:01:49.840 --> 0:01:53.800 much power to see all the knowledge and the love 0:01:53.920 --> 0:01:56.200 and the care that's going back to country there, and 0:01:56.240 --> 0:01:58.440 I know that you and many others there are doing 0:01:58.480 --> 0:02:03.200 so much work. So yeah, thank you, thanks for well. 0:02:03.240 --> 0:02:05.280 I guess what we usually do on this show is 0:02:05.320 --> 0:02:08.080 we ask people you know, who are ya, where's your mob, 0:02:08.320 --> 0:02:10.799 and where you're from. But yeah, for the people who 0:02:10.919 --> 0:02:14.600 you know aren't related to you, like me, I wonder if, yeah, 0:02:14.639 --> 0:02:17.200 you could tell us a little bit about you and 0:02:17.280 --> 0:02:18.040 your story. 0:02:18.320 --> 0:02:22.480 Okay, my name is Jerry Turban from the athen Tablelands. 0:02:22.520 --> 0:02:24.840 I was born in Athens and grew up there and 0:02:24.919 --> 0:02:27.200 spent first part of my life, you know, growing up 0:02:27.400 --> 0:02:31.280 being stage school they're tolda then we shifted down to 0:02:31.360 --> 0:02:34.000 Victoria when I was about eight and finished off my 0:02:34.040 --> 0:02:36.960 schooling in the town of Shepton. And then we come 0:02:37.000 --> 0:02:39.280 back home. And so when I say home, back to 0:02:39.280 --> 0:02:44.079 the Athon table Lands in Barbarum in them Barbean tribe, 0:02:44.600 --> 0:02:46.680 and that's west of the Athenon table land. That's my 0:02:46.840 --> 0:02:52.120 grandma's tribe clan group area, so I mostly work in 0:02:52.120 --> 0:02:56.239 that area because my mum was involved as well. Also 0:02:56.600 --> 0:03:01.800 connected to waden EDINGI on my father's side that's tables 0:03:01.840 --> 0:03:08.040 around and Tolga also imagine on there which is what's 0:03:08.120 --> 0:03:11.880 up to watt Dingy and also cook a type and 0:03:11.960 --> 0:03:15.600 where another granddad comes from. It near the Moorhead River. 0:03:17.320 --> 0:03:19.639 Wow, I didn't know that you spent some time down 0:03:19.680 --> 0:03:23.000 here in shepperd And for school and yeah. 0:03:22.800 --> 0:03:25.399 That's that's deadly to hear because I think. 0:03:26.200 --> 0:03:28.280 Correct me if I'm wrong, But I think the way 0:03:28.320 --> 0:03:33.400 that we're connected is my nan Irene Reenie Wallace nee Walker, 0:03:34.280 --> 0:03:36.400 is your mum's sister. 0:03:36.880 --> 0:03:42.080 Yeah, that's older sister, older sister. Yeah, yeah, you know, 0:03:42.080 --> 0:03:46.920 I'm lucky enough to know. And yeah, so we've always 0:03:47.000 --> 0:03:50.600 known and she's given down and then she's been in 0:03:50.640 --> 0:03:54.920 contact with us. So yeah, that's a family. 0:03:55.160 --> 0:03:58.200 Yeah, that's it, I think, because yeah, mum was you know, 0:03:58.240 --> 0:04:00.800 obviously taken, she was actually taken from I'm told she 0:04:00.960 --> 0:04:03.680 was born in INNISFL. But you know, it's been always 0:04:03.680 --> 0:04:07.280 this process of us making sure that we know who 0:04:07.320 --> 0:04:10.520 we are and where we come from. And yeah, always 0:04:10.880 --> 0:04:15.320 learning and connecting all of the dots. Say, well, you know, 0:04:15.360 --> 0:04:18.200 I'm really excited to chat with you because this week 0:04:18.400 --> 0:04:21.640 is NATOC Week and the theme is for our Elders. 0:04:21.880 --> 0:04:25.360 And you know, as I've said, I'm just in awe 0:04:25.520 --> 0:04:28.320 of what you're doing. But I wanted to ask you 0:04:28.400 --> 0:04:30.960 ONNK you know, what does NATOC week mean to you? 0:04:31.160 --> 0:04:34.240 And I guess you know, particularly thinking about yeah, this 0:04:34.320 --> 0:04:37.599 year's theme for our elders. Yeah, I wonder if you 0:04:37.600 --> 0:04:40.960 could share what NADOC you know, means for you. 0:04:41.360 --> 0:04:44.640 Yeah, okay, so you know it's for me, it's remembering 0:04:44.760 --> 0:04:49.520 the elders and what they've done for us in the past. 0:04:49.760 --> 0:04:52.240 Particularly you know, first of you know, would be my 0:04:52.440 --> 0:04:55.760 parents and the closest elders that I had. We'll have 0:04:56.880 --> 0:04:59.919 and either one you know, go I just real life 0:05:00.120 --> 0:05:04.280 and teacher all sorts of stuff, you know, so they 0:05:04.279 --> 0:05:08.479 don't get into trouble and things like that. And then 0:05:08.640 --> 0:05:12.680 you know aunties and uncles. We've always been around and 0:05:12.720 --> 0:05:16.440 closely connected to them, and they've all got different things 0:05:16.480 --> 0:05:20.200 to share with you. And teacher. So you know, my dad, 0:05:20.400 --> 0:05:24.160 he had seventeen in the family, so you can imagine 0:05:24.880 --> 0:05:28.960 how big that family and mama sides, what's about thirteen 0:05:29.000 --> 0:05:33.039 forty something like that. So you've got all these aunties 0:05:33.040 --> 0:05:36.599 and uncles you know that yeah, connect with and then 0:05:37.120 --> 0:05:41.039 you know, you go out with them, bullshit with different 0:05:41.120 --> 0:05:45.279 ones and they teach you different things. But we grew 0:05:45.360 --> 0:05:48.480 up at a time where that come out of a 0:05:48.600 --> 0:05:51.159 like a mission or reserve, and they weren't allowed to 0:05:51.160 --> 0:05:57.320 talk about the cultural past. So they were forbidden to 0:05:57.320 --> 0:06:02.279 speak the language or you know, even talk about culture 0:06:02.320 --> 0:06:05.520 and things like that. So we kind of missed out 0:06:06.120 --> 0:06:10.080 on that part of life. Growing up. We were always 0:06:10.080 --> 0:06:13.320 taken out into the bush camping and fishing and just 0:06:13.440 --> 0:06:17.320 visiting places. And then later on when the elders started 0:06:17.360 --> 0:06:21.440 to open up, well, then we realized that these places 0:06:21.800 --> 0:06:26.640 they're actually cultural sites and sacred places. So while they 0:06:26.640 --> 0:06:28.640 went allowed to talk about it, they kept us connected 0:06:29.880 --> 0:06:32.320 to those places. And then you know, it sort of 0:06:32.320 --> 0:06:35.640 made sense then as where we got old and we 0:06:35.720 --> 0:06:40.280 sort of understood how things were. So yeah, and then 0:06:40.320 --> 0:06:44.359 that's when the cultural side of things start to happen 0:06:44.400 --> 0:06:48.200 for us. Sot of talking about that even language and 0:06:48.360 --> 0:06:52.000 taught us a better language and other things about our 0:06:52.040 --> 0:06:55.039 culture and country. And we're still in that process of 0:06:55.680 --> 0:06:59.720 learning about a language, culture and country. 0:07:00.080 --> 0:07:02.479 Yeah, I wonder you know when you say when you 0:07:02.520 --> 0:07:04.680 were going out bush, I mean, do you have any 0:07:04.760 --> 0:07:07.600 like sort of moments when you went out bush that 0:07:07.680 --> 0:07:09.960 really stand out for you when you were a young 0:07:10.000 --> 0:07:12.880 fellow and like how old you were and where you 0:07:13.000 --> 0:07:16.120 went and yeah, what that sort of felt like it 0:07:16.200 --> 0:07:16.960 looked like for you. 0:07:17.680 --> 0:07:20.320 Yeah, Well, you know, it was always camping in different 0:07:20.360 --> 0:07:24.640 places and fishing and then wished to use spear guns 0:07:24.680 --> 0:07:28.800 and spears to spear their fish, you know, with a 0:07:28.840 --> 0:07:32.600 gold to go in the water and what we're trying 0:07:32.600 --> 0:07:35.280 to just copy our elders. You know, my dad and 0:07:35.480 --> 0:07:38.160 all these cousins they did the same thing, so you know, 0:07:38.200 --> 0:07:41.920 we wanted to do the same thing just using spears 0:07:41.960 --> 0:07:46.360 and began to catch your fish work in the bush 0:07:46.680 --> 0:07:50.600 and especially bush tucker as well. So you know we 0:07:50.720 --> 0:07:55.880 were impossible in Gangaroo as well. But on our side, 0:07:55.960 --> 0:08:00.520 we have Malay heritage. We grew up with eating a 0:08:00.520 --> 0:08:06.000 bush tracker with Asian spices. It was very good. And 0:08:06.320 --> 0:08:12.960 traditional foods were the freshwater turbine freshwater and what we 0:08:13.080 --> 0:08:17.840 call it jewfish or you'll tell catfish and they are 0:08:17.880 --> 0:08:20.800 not only food but their medicines as well for us. 0:08:21.080 --> 0:08:23.200 Well, yeah, it's interesting. 0:08:23.200 --> 0:08:25.560 When I was up on Country, I think it was 0:08:26.040 --> 0:08:29.840 maybe last year now, I was actually young with Arnie 0:08:30.000 --> 0:08:33.600 Cherry Turpin, and she said that she was trying to 0:08:33.800 --> 0:08:37.240 organize or she had organized a Turpen reunion and there 0:08:37.320 --> 0:08:40.720 was like five hundred plus people that were going to 0:08:40.800 --> 0:08:45.280 be invited and just talking about like the biggest mob there. 0:08:45.440 --> 0:08:47.520 But yeah, that's really cool to hear that you were 0:08:47.559 --> 0:08:51.600 able to go out and learn about bush medicine and 0:08:51.679 --> 0:08:56.520 to fish. And I guess it's probably maybe no surprise 0:08:56.600 --> 0:08:59.200 about what led you onto your path then in becoming 0:08:59.240 --> 0:09:06.000 an etho bottom As I understand, ethnobotanists or ethnobotanists is 0:09:06.040 --> 0:09:12.520 the study between people and plants. And yeah, I'm wondering, Yeah, 0:09:12.600 --> 0:09:15.280 if you could share a little bit about what led 0:09:15.280 --> 0:09:18.560 to you on that path to become you know, a 0:09:18.679 --> 0:09:21.480 scientist and to learn about that. 0:09:22.120 --> 0:09:23.720 So it's so fascinating to me. 0:09:24.440 --> 0:09:27.839 Yeah, well, I had no idea myself what I was 0:09:27.880 --> 0:09:30.800 going to do after skill, because I wasn't the brightest 0:09:30.920 --> 0:09:34.920 bar out there and I left skill, you know, my 0:09:35.040 --> 0:09:39.240 first year was picking potatoes and the local paddicts and farms, 0:09:39.800 --> 0:09:43.640 and that's all I ever thought to do was picking 0:09:43.679 --> 0:09:47.920 fruit and working on farms and laboring jobs. There's never 0:09:47.960 --> 0:09:52.160 any sort of ambition to go any further than that. 0:09:52.520 --> 0:09:55.920 But it was I used to travel around, travel around 0:09:55.920 --> 0:09:59.280 Australia doing farm work and fruit picking, and it was 0:09:59.320 --> 0:10:01.319 on one of those level that I stopped in at 0:10:01.320 --> 0:10:05.120 Brisbane and just wanted to settle down a bit and 0:10:05.240 --> 0:10:08.480 I just stopped for a while and I got a 0:10:08.559 --> 0:10:14.280 job through the Employment Agency. It's a traineeship for a 0:10:14.280 --> 0:10:19.000 scientific assistant. I had no idea what that meant. I said, 0:10:19.080 --> 0:10:22.960 I'll give it a shot, and it turned out that 0:10:23.679 --> 0:10:25.880 it was for the Queensland and Barrion and it was 0:10:25.920 --> 0:10:28.760 under the Department of Primary Industries at the time. So 0:10:28.920 --> 0:10:33.839 it's changed names several times in the past, mainly due 0:10:33.880 --> 0:10:36.920 to elections. And then that's where it's all started, just 0:10:37.000 --> 0:10:42.080 as signific assistant and my job was to mount specimens, 0:10:42.600 --> 0:10:47.400 meaning you put press plans onto a piece of cardboard 0:10:48.040 --> 0:10:50.640 and you gleuw that down and put in folders and 0:10:50.679 --> 0:10:53.080 then it goes into the herb bearing so it's like 0:10:53.080 --> 0:11:03.000 a plant. Low Brarier offered a scholarship through the department, 0:11:03.200 --> 0:11:06.080 So I just gave it a shot and a bit 0:11:06.080 --> 0:11:08.720 of a shock to the system to go back to 0:11:08.920 --> 0:11:13.360 learning in a in a learning institution, but you know, 0:11:13.720 --> 0:11:15.439 I got through it and they gave it a go, 0:11:15.640 --> 0:11:18.920 and surprisingly, you know, at the end of it was 0:11:19.040 --> 0:11:22.440 I was doing pretty good. And it was there that 0:11:23.120 --> 0:11:26.000 I was pushed towards ethno botany through a lecture of 0:11:26.040 --> 0:11:28.720 my doctor, Susan Ane Smith. So yeah, that sort of 0:11:28.720 --> 0:11:31.040 started me on this journey. And then when I finished 0:11:32.080 --> 0:11:35.400 my degree, so I majored in botany, I was back 0:11:35.400 --> 0:11:38.280 at the herbarium and employed as a botanist, did some 0:11:38.520 --> 0:11:44.400 vegetation surveys and originally ecosystem mapping all over Queensland until 0:11:44.440 --> 0:11:48.840 I transferred up to Keynes to the Australian Tropical Ibarium 0:11:48.840 --> 0:11:53.200 where we started the Tropical Indigenous Ethnobotany Center. And and 0:11:53.280 --> 0:11:58.160 then that started through connecting the locals, just asking them 0:11:58.200 --> 0:12:01.640 what they would like terms of an ethnobotany center, and 0:12:01.679 --> 0:12:04.040 they were very supportive of it, and you know, they 0:12:04.080 --> 0:12:07.079 just wanted a place where they could come and store 0:12:07.120 --> 0:12:11.520 their knowledge or learn about plants. And since then we've 0:12:11.520 --> 0:12:14.120 had many range of hips this comes through and have a. Look, 0:12:14.520 --> 0:12:20.160 you mentioned the word ethnobotany. I still have to explain that. Yeah, 0:12:20.200 --> 0:12:27.040 it's still not a widely known feel but and I'll 0:12:27.040 --> 0:12:31.520 explained it this way. Is that ethlete ethno people in 0:12:31.600 --> 0:12:35.800 culture and botany the study of plants. So it's how 0:12:36.040 --> 0:12:38.960 we you know, as Abridgin people use the plants for 0:12:39.000 --> 0:12:45.960 our medicines, for food, tools, any structure or housing calendars, 0:12:46.160 --> 0:12:49.480 you know, like the calendar plants. So and so I 0:12:49.520 --> 0:12:54.280 go around promoting what ethno botany is to different people 0:12:54.400 --> 0:12:59.280 and to promote indigenous by our cultural knowledge and that 0:13:00.120 --> 0:13:05.760 there's a hidden resource in that ibuk and that it 0:13:05.800 --> 0:13:10.400 can work with Western science to provide solutions for the 0:13:10.400 --> 0:13:11.560 problems that we have today. 0:13:12.040 --> 0:13:12.839 Yeah. 0:13:13.080 --> 0:13:18.160 Wow, what a journey from research assistem all the way 0:13:18.240 --> 0:13:22.600 up to your career now. And I guess hearing that 0:13:22.640 --> 0:13:25.240 it was sort of rooted in botany, which is just 0:13:25.320 --> 0:13:28.720 the plants. But then maybe what as you went through 0:13:28.760 --> 0:13:32.320 the process of learning, you realize, well, what, maybe it's 0:13:32.320 --> 0:13:34.840 more than just this. It's the relationship with the people, 0:13:34.920 --> 0:13:38.520 the culture and how they've used these plants for food 0:13:38.559 --> 0:13:42.520 and medicine. What an incredible journey, how amazing? 0:13:44.120 --> 0:13:46.679 Yeah, you know, and I find. You know, it's not 0:13:46.760 --> 0:13:53.319 just about the plants. Yeah, the indigen's knowledge is holistic, 0:13:53.520 --> 0:13:58.840 so everything is connected to something else. So, you know, plans, 0:13:58.840 --> 0:14:00.760 it's not just about the food plants. You know, it 0:14:00.800 --> 0:14:06.440 could be taboo or some plants of family, all these sacreds, 0:14:07.280 --> 0:14:10.680 you know, all these different connections that are involved with 0:14:10.800 --> 0:14:11.920 their plants on country. 0:14:14.120 --> 0:14:17.760 Yeah, so it feels like Western science is really only 0:14:17.840 --> 0:14:19.720 kind of catching up in a way with some of 0:14:19.760 --> 0:14:24.360 this knowledge. I know that you did a Deadly Ted talk. 0:14:24.440 --> 0:14:26.720 You were on the Ted X stage talking about the 0:14:26.760 --> 0:14:29.480 work that you're doing, and yeah, it's just really cool 0:14:29.560 --> 0:14:34.360 to see this blending of knowledges coming together because you're right, 0:14:34.400 --> 0:14:38.760 it is. It's that interconnectedness and that knowing of yeah, 0:14:38.800 --> 0:14:42.200 what was before. And I think because the world is 0:14:42.240 --> 0:14:47.240 in this like global crisis with climate change, and I 0:14:47.240 --> 0:14:51.280 think that first nation's knowledge is really critical to help 0:14:51.840 --> 0:14:55.360 offset some of these bigger social ills that we're seeing. 0:14:55.600 --> 0:15:00.720 So so cool that you're yeah leading the chart, especially 0:15:00.800 --> 0:15:01.600 for our family. 0:15:01.840 --> 0:15:02.440 Yeah, it's just. 0:15:02.400 --> 0:15:07.560 Deadly I just get yeah, really I feel really yeah, 0:15:07.600 --> 0:15:11.160 a sense of pride because yeah, it's just incredible. 0:15:11.240 --> 0:15:13.240 I guess, speaking of which, you know. 0:15:14.120 --> 0:15:17.320 I know that you know, your family and our families 0:15:17.560 --> 0:15:21.480 have been really instrumental in getting land back back home. 0:15:21.680 --> 0:15:23.880 You know, I understand that it was like a fifteen 0:15:24.000 --> 0:15:29.640 year long process or something, you know, where many, many 0:15:29.720 --> 0:15:30.520 of you want. 0:15:30.360 --> 0:15:33.960 Mob fought really hard to. 0:15:33.200 --> 0:15:38.120 Be recognized and to have land provided back. And when 0:15:38.120 --> 0:15:41.440 I was up there last year, it was nice to 0:15:41.480 --> 0:15:46.320 see like family returning home and you know, Grandma Jean 0:15:46.560 --> 0:15:52.000 was there and was her surprise party, and Annie Sandra's there, 0:15:52.160 --> 0:15:55.920 and Annie Cherry's there, and I understand you're there and 0:15:56.000 --> 0:15:57.240 Pj's there, and. 0:15:57.600 --> 0:15:58.680 It's really really cool. 0:15:58.720 --> 0:16:01.160 I'm wondering if you could talk little bit about, yeah, 0:16:01.200 --> 0:16:04.160 what you mob have done, you know, in getting that 0:16:04.280 --> 0:16:07.600 land back, and what you follows have been doing since 0:16:08.160 --> 0:16:10.520 having that land back. I know that your mob have 0:16:10.640 --> 0:16:13.720 been doing so much work to preserve and give it 0:16:13.800 --> 0:16:16.720 back to the young ones too. So yeah, I'm wondering 0:16:16.760 --> 0:16:19.359 if you can share a bit about the whole process, 0:16:19.400 --> 0:16:20.400 if you can. 0:16:20.960 --> 0:16:23.280 The first lot of native title came in two thousand 0:16:23.280 --> 0:16:25.560 and one and I wasn't around at the time. I 0:16:25.560 --> 0:16:28.600 was still in Brisbane, but it was my mother, you know, 0:16:28.800 --> 0:16:34.360 Rita Turbin and Annie Jean Roses uncle Tom and John 0:16:34.400 --> 0:16:36.920 Mayson and a few of the other ot of state 0:16:37.040 --> 0:16:40.360 sort of work together to get that native title happening. 0:16:40.520 --> 0:16:43.000 You know, Mum and ai Jan from our clan group 0:16:43.040 --> 0:16:46.320 area the watching the area. They attended every meeting and 0:16:46.640 --> 0:16:50.960 we're heavily involved even before I came in Anti Gene. 0:16:51.040 --> 0:16:53.000 You know, she just recently had a birthday again. 0:16:54.080 --> 0:16:58.760 Yeah, sure, she's eighty seven maybe, yeah, I think she's 0:16:58.800 --> 0:17:00.440 eighty seven now, and. 0:17:00.360 --> 0:17:05.000 She still attends meetings and she still travels, say, you know, 0:17:05.520 --> 0:17:08.320 and I always point to her, you know, as an 0:17:08.400 --> 0:17:11.520 example for the younger people that you know, sometimes it's 0:17:11.520 --> 0:17:15.800 not always about money, but it's about pride in country 0:17:15.840 --> 0:17:18.280 and things like that. So yeah, since then, we've sort 0:17:18.320 --> 0:17:22.679 of moved move forward, and then we got the second 0:17:22.720 --> 0:17:26.440 lot of native title, which I was involved in. Then 0:17:26.800 --> 0:17:28.920 prior to that, you know, when I came back where 0:17:29.040 --> 0:17:33.920 we held events on countries, mainly young trush Landers on country. 0:17:34.520 --> 0:17:36.320 So it was a mix of culture and science and 0:17:36.520 --> 0:17:40.080 just getting young people out on country to learn more 0:17:40.119 --> 0:17:43.399 of their culture, but also to learn about the science 0:17:43.440 --> 0:17:46.240 aspects of country as well. To see a lot of 0:17:46.280 --> 0:17:49.160 the eldest told me that while they have their knowledge 0:17:49.640 --> 0:17:53.960 and stories about how things were created and happened on 0:17:54.000 --> 0:17:56.720 the country. Things are happening so fast now that you know, 0:17:57.640 --> 0:18:01.920 environmental changes and things like that, that they said, oh, 0:18:01.960 --> 0:18:03.480 you've got to you know, you've got to work with 0:18:03.560 --> 0:18:07.560 Western science as well together. So that's how we've come 0:18:07.600 --> 0:18:10.520 about having this known tois NaNs on country and we've 0:18:10.520 --> 0:18:14.480 had several events on country and the kids just love 0:18:14.520 --> 0:18:19.479 it out, Their love learning both knowledges, and it's usually 0:18:19.800 --> 0:18:22.680 a big family event as well, and our visitors like 0:18:22.760 --> 0:18:25.080 to come along. A couple of years ago, we had 0:18:25.119 --> 0:18:30.399 our first cultural fire camp and we called it bringing 0:18:30.480 --> 0:18:34.080 back the Good Fire because through there, you know, we 0:18:34.160 --> 0:18:38.040 had these wild forest fires that just burnt everything to cinder. 0:18:38.119 --> 0:18:41.879 But ours was about bringing cultural fire back in a 0:18:41.920 --> 0:18:44.800 gentle way and teaching the young people that how to 0:18:44.840 --> 0:18:47.880 do that as well. So yeah, that was very good. 0:18:48.080 --> 0:18:52.000 We've got some other projects happening on country, the Bushtucker 0:18:52.480 --> 0:18:57.120 project and looking at novel root vegetables. We also got 0:18:57.160 --> 0:19:01.560 their medicinal plants projects as well, So yeah, communities involved 0:19:01.600 --> 0:19:07.120 and pretty excited about all that and learning more as 0:19:07.160 --> 0:19:07.720 we go along. 0:19:07.840 --> 0:19:12.680 So yeah, yeah, wow, what a journey. 0:19:14.840 --> 0:19:18.159 Yeah I was, I was yearning with a cousin, Tash 0:19:18.280 --> 0:19:22.240 tush Roses, and she was talking about having done that 0:19:22.320 --> 0:19:25.119 fire burning course and what it meant for her to 0:19:25.240 --> 0:19:27.240 just go back and learn all of that stuff. 0:19:27.280 --> 0:19:29.000 And I think that's the thing. 0:19:29.080 --> 0:19:32.600 It's like, when we get these opportunities to have access 0:19:32.600 --> 0:19:36.720 to country, it provides so much for families and the 0:19:36.760 --> 0:19:40.280 wider community to come back and learn and you know, 0:19:40.480 --> 0:19:43.840 have have have that shared sense of pride. 0:19:44.640 --> 0:19:45.720 I wonder when you were. 0:19:45.640 --> 0:19:48.640 Talking about the bush tuckers and the medicines, I mean, 0:19:48.720 --> 0:19:51.040 I wonder if you could share a little bit of 0:19:51.680 --> 0:19:56.080 what type of bush tucker and medicines we would find 0:19:56.640 --> 0:19:59.600 up on country there for people who haven't been up 0:19:59.640 --> 0:20:02.160 to What's and Ville and haven't you know, stood foot 0:20:02.200 --> 0:20:03.399 on that beautiful place. 0:20:04.840 --> 0:20:06.639 Yeah, what sort of stuff are you seeing? 0:20:06.720 --> 0:20:09.119 And are you seeing since you mob have had it 0:20:09.200 --> 0:20:12.240 back and all the cool burning and the fire burning, 0:20:12.280 --> 0:20:15.159 that things have been regenerated and restored. 0:20:16.640 --> 0:20:20.600 Yeah, we've only had that one burn on country, but 0:20:20.920 --> 0:20:24.840 even with that, you know, we saw wallabies and another 0:20:24.880 --> 0:20:29.280 different animals, the turner, and so you know it made 0:20:29.280 --> 0:20:34.320 a difference. Already bushfoods, you know, you get your g bone. 0:20:34.680 --> 0:20:37.520 There's a small shrub tree, keep the fruits of that, 0:20:37.640 --> 0:20:41.080 and then they're made of arrow root and made of 0:20:41.320 --> 0:20:44.280 marshmallows so that they all come back after fire and 0:20:44.960 --> 0:20:48.240 raine different dams that come as well, So we're all 0:20:48.280 --> 0:20:51.520 trying those. The thing we have to think about is 0:20:51.680 --> 0:20:55.240 wild harvesting. So there's something that you can do wild 0:20:55.280 --> 0:21:00.280 harvesting and be sustainable. But then there's others that you know, 0:21:00.320 --> 0:21:01.720 you have to think about. Well, you know, if I 0:21:01.800 --> 0:21:04.720 continue to keep taking these out of the books, they 0:21:04.800 --> 0:21:07.640 might disappear. So we'll look at ways how it can 0:21:07.720 --> 0:21:14.320 grow them, hold a cultural setting and still maintain the nutrients, 0:21:14.480 --> 0:21:18.000 the same nutrients and the benefits from that particular plant. 0:21:18.720 --> 0:21:23.280 So those are things that we think about also with 0:21:23.359 --> 0:21:26.840 our medicinal plants, just getting back to using them in 0:21:27.200 --> 0:21:31.520 like the blood would resin high in any bacterial property, 0:21:31.680 --> 0:21:35.479 so we use those on saws and even I use 0:21:35.520 --> 0:21:38.320 it at a mouthws. Sometimes with these projects, you know, 0:21:38.440 --> 0:21:42.040 you're uncovering that hidden knowledge and bringing it back into 0:21:42.080 --> 0:21:44.359 the community, and the community has taking that on the 0:21:44.400 --> 0:21:48.960 board and using it, so you know, in fact, reinstall 0:21:49.640 --> 0:21:53.800 restoring culture, and that's what means of getting back land, 0:21:53.840 --> 0:21:56.400 even through Native title it's not perfect, but at least 0:21:56.400 --> 0:21:59.760 you have access to some country in land with culture. 0:22:00.160 --> 0:22:05.760 Language is very important, intertwined separation of even just one 0:22:05.880 --> 0:22:10.720 sort of you know things, there's something missn't so getting 0:22:10.720 --> 0:22:15.000 back on country and then we're relearning the language in 0:22:15.080 --> 0:22:17.800 culture as well and just moving forward with that. 0:22:18.400 --> 0:22:20.200 Wow, I didn't, I didn't. 0:22:20.920 --> 0:22:24.520 That's so cool to hear that there's a process of 0:22:24.560 --> 0:22:27.960 trying to uncover language, because as I understand through mum 0:22:28.040 --> 0:22:30.960 and stuff, that all of our language is basically lost. 0:22:31.600 --> 0:22:34.440 But when I was up on country last year, Grandma 0:22:34.680 --> 0:22:38.560 Jean kind of welcomed us in language and I was like, 0:22:39.480 --> 0:22:41.680 I didn't know that we had any of it left. 0:22:41.720 --> 0:22:44.919 But so there's a process of being happening now to 0:22:45.000 --> 0:22:47.119 sort of uncover more about it. 0:22:47.760 --> 0:22:50.960 Yeah, so there were three hundred we've only got about 0:22:50.960 --> 0:22:57.840 three hundred words, but we were that's where things are. Yeah, yeah, 0:22:57.840 --> 0:23:02.280 we're due to have another language workshop. So the elders 0:23:02.520 --> 0:23:05.119 used to say, you know, when you go on country, 0:23:05.119 --> 0:23:08.879 the country teaches you. So just being on country you 0:23:08.960 --> 0:23:12.199 start to learn things. And just for an example, I 0:23:12.320 --> 0:23:14.639 know now that the flowering of a certain model is 0:23:14.680 --> 0:23:18.480 the time to go fishing for Blackburn. The first full 0:23:18.560 --> 0:23:23.240 moon is that's when the fish have eggs, so you 0:23:23.240 --> 0:23:26.080 don't go fishing. So you know, there's little thing that 0:23:26.520 --> 0:23:30.359 you learn by just being on country. When you add language, 0:23:30.840 --> 0:23:34.080 there's hidden knowledge in that language. Once you learn the language, 0:23:34.240 --> 0:23:38.080 you sort of open up that knowledge and that sort 0:23:38.080 --> 0:23:42.600 of comes out and combined with the knowledge of country 0:23:42.800 --> 0:23:47.840 and then your culture as well, so knowledge and all 0:23:47.880 --> 0:23:51.359 those things and then combined together it starts to build 0:23:51.440 --> 0:23:54.040 up your culture again. On country. 0:23:54.800 --> 0:23:58.080 Yeah, you're so right, Like country really is our single 0:23:58.160 --> 0:24:01.639 greatest teacher. And it's interesting to hear say that, Like 0:24:01.680 --> 0:24:04.639 when you see a particular wattle, you'd know that that's 0:24:04.640 --> 0:24:09.879 a time for fishing or hunting. But it's like because 0:24:09.920 --> 0:24:12.920 our mob had that ability to sort of be present 0:24:13.119 --> 0:24:18.120 and observe and watch, and it's like the older science, 0:24:18.200 --> 0:24:20.520 isn't it, Because you could watch something and predict a 0:24:20.560 --> 0:24:24.000 future event based off just what you can see, which 0:24:24.040 --> 0:24:27.639 is just yeah, so so cool. I know when I 0:24:27.680 --> 0:24:30.080 started my business, I was, you know, really wanting to 0:24:30.320 --> 0:24:34.720 honor mum and Nan and language and couldn't find any 0:24:34.920 --> 0:24:38.520 any language. But I know that there was a particular wattle. 0:24:38.600 --> 0:24:42.280 I think it's the sca perpotilia. It's the cupid's wattle 0:24:42.320 --> 0:24:46.200 that you sent me, and it blossoms around Herban when 0:24:46.280 --> 0:24:51.280 Nan was born, and it blossoms around Mother's Day, and 0:24:51.320 --> 0:24:53.320 so I thought that that would be a really nice 0:24:53.359 --> 0:24:56.800 way to honor Mum without having the words to describe it. 0:24:56.880 --> 0:24:59.679