During the six months before the gathering, a number of talks took place with the Aboriginal people of Narrandera. These talks were about:

1. some of the problems and worries facing the community,
2. other important issues,
3. the strengths and resources in the community,
4. the problem-solving skills of people in the community, and
5. the special knowledges about life that people in the community have.

These problem-solving skills and special knowledges come from people's families and from the history of the community. Some of these come from the special traditions and the spirituality of the Wiradjuri people.

From these talks it became clearer that the people of the community already knew a lot more than they sometimes realised. There are strengths, resources, problem-solving skills, and special knowledges about life that exist within the community. The gathering was planned to help community members to see these more clearly.

The gathering was designed as an opportunity for people to tell stories and to talk about some of the important knowledges and skills which can help with the problems and worries of the community. Each morning and each afternoon we planned to have a good yarn about a particular theme. These themes came from the talks that were held in the six months leading up to the gathering.

Here are some of the examples of these themes:

Mutual respect
In our community there have been many disagreements and arguments. There has been a breakdown in mutual respect and much of the togetherness of our community has been lost.

There are many reasons for these deaths. One reason is because we often ignore signs of illness. We might be suffering terribly, but we say there is nothing wrong with us. Sometimes we don’t see a doctor until it is too late. Most of our people don’t ever have check ups. When we do have contact with the health services, very often these services don’t take our health seriously either. There are long waits to get an appointment, then long waits at the clinic, and very short meetings with doctors in which we don’t feel heard. The atmosphere at the medical centre and the hospital often puts our people off and makes us feel put down.

Getting together
There was a time when social get-togethers were a big part of community life. We all came together at these events and shared stories and songs and danced together. These events joined us together in a way that we knew we would never be alone, no matter where we were.

Sharing news
Koori people have always had their own ways of getting news out to people. In the old days it was like they had their own special telegraph system, one that didn’t need wires and poles. News seemed to travel almost as fast as light on this telegraph system. This telegraph system without wires played a very important part in giving Koori people a sense of connectedness, in keeping them in touch with important information, and in keeping communities strong.

The day began with a fantastic dance by Bianca, Taminya, Siobahn and Narikah, and then Taminya sang the song, ‘My Island Home’. The audience responded with lots of clapping and applause.

Jennifer and Bevan then went out the front and sang a song which is very important to the community. This beautiful song is called ‘The Hill’. It is about the Sandhills and was written by Uncle Cecil. All the young people gathered around to hear this song. It was a moving event.

Here are the lyrics:

The Hill
By Cecil Lyons

There’s a place in this world we know as the hill
To see it now you wouldn’t know it at all
It’s a place where we were born and bred
A place in this world, and we love it still

It’s only a place of sand and grass
Where we sang and danced, in the past
Where we drank and ate, and had our fill
A place us Koori’s know as the hill

We’d run around naked in the dust and the sand
All played together, and then made plans
That was our life back then in our younger days
Didn’t know much about the white man’s ways

It’s only a place of sand and grass
Where we sang and danced, in the past
Where we drank and ate, and had our fill
A place us Koori’s know as the hill

But now we’ve all grown up and moved into town
And maybe a certain happening, makes us feel down
But we love the place, and that’s why we go back
Just off that old Leeton road, and up that old dirt track

Yes it’s only a place of sand and grass
Where we sang and danced, in the past
Where we drank and ate, and had our fill
Yes a place us Koori’s know as the hill

The last song in the opening was called ‘Going back home’. This song was written this week from the words of the community. Everyone was given a copy of the lines of this song and we all joined together to sing it.

To listen to this song, click here

Going home
By the Narrandera Koori Community
(facilitated by David Denborough)

Well our grief has always been with us
But so have our healing ways
We may no longer be living on the hill
But we’re going home today

There’s room here for all of us
Like in the old ways
There are stories to be told
Songs to be sung
Like in the olden days

Well our grief has always been with us
But so have our healing ways
We may no longer be living on the hill
But we’re going home today
Well, we’re coming home today
Yes we’re coming home today

After the songs, the following theme was read out by Taminya:

Listening to our young people and children:

Our young people and children have a good understanding of what needs to be done for them in the Narrandera community. They know what their lives are like and they know what their friends are going through. They have lots of ideas about what can be done about young people’s problems. Sometimes they come up with good ideas that can help older people too.

But often young people have trouble finding people who will listen to them. Our young people and children don’t get asked very much about their ideas. Instead, they are expected to hear out what parents, grand parents and community elders think about these things. Because of this, young people don’t get much of a chance to share their ideas and feelings.

It seems it is now time for this to change. Lots of people in our community, both older and younger people, are saying that it’s time to find ways of listening to the young people so that their ideas can be heard.

Then Taminya asked the other young people the following questions:

• How can we listen more to young people?
• What could be done to invite and support young people to share their understandings and feelings with the adults and the more senior people in our community?
• What would this mean for the young people of our community?
• What would this mean for the older people in our community?

The young people then spoke about a whole range of ideas in relation to these questions. They said things like:

• One way of listening to young people is to ask for their advice
• Another way is to have a sharing of ideas
• Some young people spoke about how they would love if it there were more things to do to keep them off the streets
• And if there were more trips to other places
• We could have more get-togethers like this
• Some of the young people spoke about how they had put a lot of effort into developing their dances and how much it would mean if they could be taken places to perform these
• One young person then said how they would like to learn traditional Wiradjuri dances
• The young people said that if some of these things happened then the older people would not need to worry about them so much, and they would not need to growl at them

After the young people had finished speaking, the listening team went out the front and made some reflections about what they had heard.

Here are some of the thoughts of the reflecting team:

• What a delight it was to hear the lively, strong, and thoughtful contribution made in this meeting by the young people. So many clear and practical ideas were shared. It also seemed like the young people really knew where they wanted to go in life. They really had some clear sense of direction and purpose to their lives. I wonder what they would say about this? How would they describe where they are wanting to go with their lives?

• I know in my life I don’t very often ask the young people how they may want to contribute to something for everyone. Hearing what the young people said today makes me want to ask more in the future. It was a real eye-opener to me to see how much the young people had to offer in terms of ideas and advice.

• The young people also had particular skills that they showed in the meeting. They listened really carefully, were able to speak up, and had lots of different ideas. The young people had very strong and clear voices. I wonder how the young people have been able to develop these skills. Have they been around people in the community who have helped them to develop these skills? How have the young people developed all the different skills that they showed today? How have they come to have such strong and clear voices? I’d like to talk with the young people more about how this has come about.

• It was really clear that the young people here have a whole lot of ideas and that us older people don’t have to be alone in trying to figure out everything. As an older person, that sounds like a bit of a relief!

• I appreciated the ways the younger people were willing to go through this process. Some might have thought they’d prefer to be outside or elsewhere, but they went through this process, they were a part of the talking. This seemed important to me. I’m not sure what it meant. Does it mean that they have a good sense of responsibility?

• It seemed as if the younger people were including us older people in their thinking and their conversations.

The conversation was then opened up to all the elders in the room and Uncle Michael Lyons responded to the young women saying that they wanted to learn some of the traditional dances. He told the following story:

The story of the kangaroo dance…
A long time ago, the Wiradjuri people couldn’t catch kangaroo. Every time someone would try to hunt a kangaroo, they’d get close but then the kangaroo would see them and jump away. Kangaroos are pretty smart animals.

During this time most kids would spend their days down by the river or playing with boomerangs, but one little kid was different. This kid was a little weird. He was different from all the other young people. Whenever he went up and tried to play with other kids they would tease him and make fun of him. This would make him really sad and lonely.

One day, when he was crying, a koala saw him and spoke to him. The koala said, ‘what’s wrong?’ And the young person said, ‘no one will play with me because they think I am strange.’ The koala said him, ‘Do you know the reason why no one in your tribe can catch kangaroo?’ The little boy did not know, but he was very pleased to talk with the koala so he just listened as the koala explained.

The koala told the young boy that it was because the people did not know how to move like the kangaroo. They didn’t have a kangaroo dance. The koala said that until they had a kangaroo dance they would never be able to catch them.

The koala then took some time to teach the young boy how to do the kangaroo dance. After he had learnt he taught others and the people were no longer hungry. They learnt how to move like the kangaroo. So, the little boy who everyone used to tease… he was really smarter than all the others. That’s the story of the kangaroo dance.

As Uncle Michael told this story he started to share with the young people how to start to learn the kangaroo dance.

There was a lot of laughter as various young people started to move like kangaroos, scratching themselves, jumping around, and finally being carried back to the campfire to be eaten!

After this other older people spoke about how they had heard the young people say how important it is for older people to listen. They also spoke about what a lot of potential these young people have. How they are really good kids.

The young people then spoke again. Here are some of the things they said:

• Listening to the older people speak made me feel like they were really going to do it.
• It was good to hear that the older people realised what we are saying.
• It was really good to have people listen.

We finished off the day with a new song that had just been written. It is about all the conversations that had taken place over the day!

Here are its lyrics

The dancing will continue

First there were the dancers
Then a song about an island home
Then the elders’ sang Cecil’s song
About the hill of our own

Then we sang together
About going home in our own ways
How our grief has always been with us
But so have our healing ways

And then young people spoke
Their voices loud and clear
Their ideas were almost dancing
In this tent, in this air

And then the kangaroos joined us
As they did long ago
And the dancing will continue
That’s one thing we surely know

As this song was being played one of the elders danced with one of the young people at the front of the tent. It was beautiful to see.

This was the end of day one! After Taminya was thanked for the role that she had played everyone went outside, as it had stopped raining.

Other conversations on day one:

Throughout the day other conversations also took place over cups of tea or cigarettes. Some of the things that were talked about included:

Coming to the sandhills
Some of the young women spoke about how they didn’t often come to the Sandhills but when they do they really like it… ‘It’s a special place’, they said. ‘Some of this is because Aunty Lucy is there. Some of it is because of all the things that happened here in the past.’

Songs in the community
People talked about writing songs and singing songs – in particular how songs have been written at important times, like when someone has died. The songs and singing seem an important reminder of people who are no longer with us – but whose songs remain.

Passing on our history
A number of things happened today that were about passing on our history. Uncle Mick brought out the picture book which is about the story his father used to tell about the Bunyip. This book is a way of passing on the teachings and stories of the past. It connects us to the old ways. We are now finding new ways to pass the old ways on – like books, and songs, and even looking at Regi’s old newsletters and the old photos. These are new ways of passing our history on to the young ones.

Coming to the river
Many people spoke about going down to the river and the meaning of this:

‘When we were young we always went down as a big mob to the river and everyone was safe. Kids knew the stories and ways of being safe near water.’

Several of the men talked about going to the river after work, especially during summer and finding the river a beautiful place to be. Often they catch cod which should be 40-60 pounds to make a good catch. They use worms and winged grubs for bait. Some of the sons and grandsons go with the older men to fish. This is a tradition that has occurred here for many years, and it still continues.

• Some people said that what was most important for them was telling stories about those who have been lost – especially the funny moments and the times of joy.

• At this point the group shared a range of very funny stories about people who have passed away and also about funerals! We were all laughing loudly.

• There were also some lovely rememberings of Regi, Des and Tabby and all the Park Rangers.

When the group had finished talking, the listening team came together and offered a re-telling of what they had heard. Here are some of the things that they said:

• I really noticed how many different skills and ideas people had about grieving and dying. I was especially moved by the conversations about the hospital and about how whole families are determined to stay with their loved ones when they are dying even though the hospital is not set up for this.

• I was moved by the many stories that people were telling about those who have passed away. These people were obviously very dear to these here and they are clearly still so cherished. The presence of these people has seemed very honoured all day.

• Throughout the conversation it seemed to me like there was a combination of grief, pain and humour. This combination seemed precious. I was wondering what is the way of seeing the world that makes this humour possible? Aboriginal humour across this country remains so strong. It seems that this humour enables people to stand in a different place in relation to grief. It seems very powerful to me. Aboriginal humour has also influenced all Australians lives. I reckon white Australians have a lot to learn from Aboriginal people about how to use humour to deal with grief. I’m going to think a lot more about this in my own life.

• Koori humour is pretty similar to our Nunga humour and I loved the laughter that was a part of this conversation. I also appreciated the stories people told about how things are now compared to how things used to be. Out of all the things I heard, I think honour, respect and humour were the words that shone through for me.

• I appreciated the really practical ideas that some people had about what could make a difference in the hospital, They spoke about what it would be like to have a place where Koori families could stay at the hospital, where they could be as loud as they like and spend time with their loved one. They spoke about how this would make such a difference to grieving and healing.

• I was very touched with people’s expressions of loss. This sense of loss seemed to relate to how treasured these people who have passed away were to the community. These loved lost ones must have been very dear, very precious. The pain that people spoke of also seemed to show an ability to stay in connection with those people. The people here are not turning away from those who have died. Instead, they are continuing to honour them and how much they mean to them. In the culture I come from people so often talk about moving on, or letting go of lost loved ones and this can seem so dishonouring. The ways people were talking today were different from this and I found this very moving. Even when people were talking about loss and pain I found this moving because it showed how much they cared about the people who have passed on.

• I was also moved by the fact that people here still acknowledge the contributions of those who have died. People still talk about Reg’s newsletters, Cecil’s songs and all sorts of other ways that people in the past contributed to the life of the community. The legacies of these people are clearly still well and truly alive.
   
• I wonder what those lost loved ones would be saying if they could hear this conversation…

The group then made some reflections about what it was like to hear from the listening team.

• Some people reflected very humorously about what their loved ones might say if they had been there!

• A number of people said that it was really good to hear about other people’s grief because… ‘It makes me realise that I’m not the only one feeling this way. We all have our grief and talking together about this is helping.’

• People began to share some particular experiences of grief. One group member shared the story of his coming to terms with his partner’s death. It has been a long journey but one that he has honoured and taken a lot of care with. Someone else told a story of one woman who after a death cried for four whole weeks and then decided that for her this was enough. There was a sense that people have their different ways of dealing with loss, although we are all human so that there are some things we have in common.

• There was some discussion about the differences between the experiences of women and men. And one of the men present said, ‘I’ve been to so many funerals that I’ve just blocked it out. I’m numb’

• The group also began to share more fond memories of some of the people of the community who died quite recently. These were humourous stories told with great love. It was as if these people were with us in the tent and that they were once again bringing laughter to the Hill.

During this time a song had been written out of the words that people were saying. This was then sung to the group.

We remember those who’ve left us

No one drinks before a funeral
As death comes near
We still gather around
The staff may complain
But we’re here to stay
We won’t let our loved ones down

Do they need to rest?
Well we don’t think so
We need to talk
About the good they’ve done
We’ll make noise
Raise the roof with laughter
The walls of the hospital
Might just fall down

What is grief about?
Honour, integrity
A place to fall over and sit down

We remember those who’ve left us
Left us with their memories
Left us with their songs and stories

Other stories from Day Two:

Let’s go exploring – what the younger children said
Some of the older kids, Nathan, Brooke, Aloma and Latika led the way down the dirt track towards the river. ‘Can we go up to the old house?’ they yelled and so we headed of to the old house to explore. Dylan, Jamarl, Tegan, Josh, Darcylee and Keden followed and played along the way.

The old house, Brooke told us, was built by ‘Popsy Billy’. ‘He built it himself and he and Nanny Lilly lived there.’ They had 12 kids and Brooke and Aloma knew all of their names. Brooke said her Dad, Owen, was the second youngest and we heard that Uncle Michael (Mick) was fourth. We also heard that Poopy Billy died after being the army.

Many of the kids had not been to the house for a while and were surprised to find part of the house knocked down. They were keen to explore and they told many stories as they did. This house they said, ‘wasn’t much to look at on the outside, but was really, really good inside.’ They remembered getting together and drinking hot chocolate around the big fire. They knew that all the boys slept in one room and all the girls slept in another room.

Then they found a book about silk working and remembered how Nanny Lilly was really good at making silk. Aloma wanted to have this book and she took it home. They found some other treasures too – an old hat, a key and some kitchen jars which were collected taken back. These memories all seemed to mean so much to the children who remembered this house where Bill and Lill’s signature remains on one of the walls.

Old ways of living
A number of people spoke about the hunting that used to take place and the ways in which people lived off the land. Often the local Koori people did not have the money to shop and so living off the land was the only alternative. There was talk of the wild mushrooms, fish, lobsters, swan eggs, yabbies and even turtle soup and possum meat. Some people also mentioned Old Man Weed which is now being used in research about skin cancer. The healers used to mix this weed up with gum leaves and apply it to any cuts or scratches. This meant that there were no scars on any of the children because it worked so well. Every house also had a fig tree or an apple tree. – ‘You used to be able to plan your trips around eating at all the different fruit trees’.

‘Jewel lizard’
We heard how Narrandera in Wiradjuri language means ‘Jewel Lizard’. This was a special animal to the Nurrungjhar people. Owen and Uncle Mick carve lizards, goannas, pythons and other animals into the beautiful didgeridoos and boomerangs that they make. These didgeridoos and boomerangs are sold all over Australia and people all over the world treasure them because of their beauty. We sat and thought about this for a while. People from all over the world play didgeridoos made on the Hill in Narrandera. That seems pretty special.

Around the campfire
In the evening we sat around the campfire and heard more stories about what life used to be like on the Hill. We heard about the houses, the church, family life, musicians, and also some hilarious stories about some of the well loved characters of the Narrandera Koori community. We are still smiling about the stories that were told.

January Christmas
We also heard about January Christmas which is, we hope, going to be the title of a book that Aunty Lucy will write one day. Back many years ago the young Koori people of Narrandera didn’t know much about Christmas and Christmas trees. But every year, after December 25^th, the Koori kids would find in the tip a whole lot of trees that were decorated with tinsel and streamers and beautiful colours. The young Kooris thought these trees were beautiful and would collect them and bring them up to the Hill to care for them. They’d even add more decorations made out of tins. These Christmas trees would be up on the hill throughout January, and that’s why Aunty Lucy’s book is going to be called January Christmas.

A reflection
This story and some others that were shared reminded Aunty Barb (a member of the listening team) of some of the stories she has heard from her mother. ‘My mother always used to tell me that going to the tip was like going to Woolworths! There was so much to discover and find there. People are so wasteful. There are many treasures that can be found in what others have thrown away.’

To listen to this song, click here.

These songs were then copied onto cds and tapes so that each Koori family in Narrandera will be able to listen to these songs. It is hoped that these songs might act as a permanent memory of the gathering and of the spirit of the community.

This write up

With the permission of the community, many of the stories and knowledges were collected and have been written up by David Denborough into this report. The community owns this report, and it is now available as a permanent record of the gathering and of the knowledges and skills of the community.

The following people took part in the gathering:

We have tried to include here a list of people who were at the gathering. We made this list up late one night around the campfire and it is very likely that some people’s names have been left out. We have left space at the end of the list so if there are any names that were left out please write them down here. Thanks!

Adults:

Hank Lyons, Elizabeth Lyons, Deli Bright, Jennifer Johnson (Snr), Ossie Ingram (Snr), Ossie Ingram (Jnr), Jennifer Johnson (Jnr), Bevan Bright, Michael Lyons (Snr), Michael Lyons (Jnr), Margaret Prior, Roger McKay, Lucy Lyons, Marion Lyons, Kathleen Harrison, Laura Lyons, Lauren Barlow, Donna Charles, Roger Greedy, Owen Lyons, Mark Higgins, Michelle Harrison, Rosemary Hollis, Shawn Lyons, Nicole Simpson, Donald Prior, Scott Lyons, Cecily Lyons, Troy Prior, Warwick Williams, Sue Lyons, Lorraine Longford, Bessie Briggs, Cedric Briggs, Shane Millard, Don Prior, Diane O’Neil, Maria Johnson, Terese Johnson, Bernice Harrison, Bronwyn Lyons.

Kids:

Narikah Johnson, Taminya Johnson, Joshua Charles, Brent Lyons, Blair Charles, Siobahn Johnson, Latoya May, Steven Mathews, Gregory Mathews, Ashley Reddell, Nathan Smith, Latika Charles, Aloma Lyons, Amanda Lyons, Jamie Simpson, Yasmin Johnson, Jamara Johnson, Tara Lyons, Bianca Barlow, Amanda Barlow, Tara Barlow, Brooke Lyons, Darcylee, Dylan, Tegan & Keden, were also at the gathering

The listening team were: Barbara Wingard, Maggie Carey, David Denborough, Shona Russell and Michael White.

Thanks to: Bronwyn Lyons and Tim Agius for their work behind the scenes, to Uncle Mick Lyons and Aunty Lucy Lyons for their hospitality, to the Riverina Aboriginal Medical & Dental Service and the Aboriginal Division of the NSW Health Department.

Please add your stories here:

This is a brief report on the follow up to the Narrandera Koori Narrative Gathering of April 2002. This follow-up was undertaken on November 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th . The feedback received from community members touched on all of the themes that were featured in the program for the gathering. These notes provide some account of this feedback.

This feedback was gained chiefly, but not only, in consultations with:

Jennifer Johnson, Bevan Bright, Dell Johnson, Lucy Lyons, Mick Lyons, Bessie Briggs, Cedric Briggs, Roger McKay, Laura Lyons, Taminya Fisher.

The meeting

Everyone commented on the quality of the conversations that were had during the gathering. They said that it was good to sit around talking about the themes, and that people could just relax in these conversations, knowing that they were achieving something without being weighed down by heavy thoughts. It wasn’t that people couldn’t talk about what was sad. It was more that people could talk about their sorrow in ways that provided them with a sense of relief, and with a sense of healing being done. This sort of talking extended into the campfire discussions in the evenings, and prompted the recollection of many stories and songs that were of the history of the community. Everyone had the sense that they were witnessing many powerful healing moments.

Bridging the generations.

The generation gap between people in the Narrandera Koori community had been of particular concern. This was a concern that many people had voiced in the consultations leading up to the gathering, and during the gathering itself. As this generation gap was contributing to lots of misunderstanding, stress, and conflict, it was considered of vital importance to address this. In the follow up consultations virtually everybody talked about the part that the gathering had played in closing this gap, and in providing a foundation for new understandings.

Stories and songs

Many of the stories told during the gathering were put together in a report. This report drew out the major themes and provided a sense of direction for many of the people who participated in the gathering. As well as this, many of the beautiful and touching words and phrases expressed by the people of the gathering were collected and taken in to verse and song. CD’s and audiotapes of these songs were distributed around the Narrandera Koori community on Friday evening at the end of the gathering. The record of these stories and songs has been especially important to the people of the community.

Next step

Many people considered this gathering to be a beginning of a process of healing and rejuvenation for the Narrandera Koori community. All of those consulted in the follow up meetings were unanimous about this sentiment. Those who attended the gathering reported that they consistently hear expressions of regret from those of the community who didn’t attend. During the follow up consultations there were lots of thoughts about how this regret could be avoided on future occasions; thoughts about how the community as a whole could be more completely informed about any future event like this that might be planned, and thoughts about how to engage people from all sectors of the community.

Reflections from others

During the follow up, a videotape of reflections on the gathering was presented to members of the Narrandera Koori community. These were recorded reflections from specific people from the wider community, and which were principally responses to the stories and the songs of the gathering. The people participating in these reflections spoke of how these stories and songs had touched their own lives, and about what this had meant to them. They also spoke of how the ripples of these stories and songs were awakening of their own stories and songs about life. Members of the Narrandera Koori community found this videotape to be powerfully acknowledging of their stories and songs. It also contributed to a strong sense of solidarity with other peoples of the world.

Summary

To summarize, community members said that they were glad that the gathering had taken place. It had contributed to important realizations not only about their own lives and the lives of their kin, but also to important realizations about the life of the community.

There had been some concern ahead of the event that a gathering with some focus on grief and healing from the many losses experienced by the families of the community might be quite a heavy experience for community members. This caused many people to hesitate over their decisions about whether or not to participate. This was a concern that was rapidly dissolved within the context of the event itself.

Others had been concerned about whether their voices would be heard in such a meeting. This was particularly true for the young people. This concern was also rapidly dissolved. They found that in this forum they could talk openly with the older people about their experiences and their concerns, and about what they thought should happen to fix some of the problems facing young people the in the community. In doing this they felt heard and acknowledged by the older people, and expressed the wish for this to happen more often.

In the context of the meeting, community members became more aware of the strong cultural and spiritual connections that they have with each other, and with the land, and particularly with the "hill". For those who were born on the "hill" this had the effect of linking people to many of the happy and fulfilling memories of their childhood. For those who were not born on the "hill", this had the effect of linking their lives to the rich stories of their history. Community members were unanimous in their wish for further gatherings to assist them to continue with their healing.