Reading through the e-bulletin this week I am sure you will be astounded by the vibrancy and innovation of the network across a range of activities and my thanks to my team for bringing those stories to you.
For my contribution this week, I wanted to acknowledge one of Canberra’s most respected Traditional Owners and Ngunnawal Elders, Aunty Agnes Shea OAM who died on Saturday at the age of 91. Her family has given explicit permission for her name and image to be used.
If you have attended an event in Canberra – and indeed an FRSA event – you too would have experienced her warm and generous Welcome to Country. Aunty Agnes would always take the time to explain the importance of this tradition of welcoming people as a cultural practice as it was handed down by her Elders since the beginning of time. As she had shared with us: A welcome to country means that before entering another person’s country you would always announce your arrival and not enter until a traditional owner of that country welcomes you. The reason for this practice was to protect your spirit while you were in another person’s country – here in her country – Ngunnawal country. We were always grateful when she extended this protection to us.
As a Ngunnawal Elder she was a trailblazer and a passionate advocate for reconciliation, equality and recognition. Her legacy lives on in her children, her grandchildren and her great-grandchildren. Our thoughts are with them and the Ngunnawal community at this time.
