I grew up in Mt Barker, in Menang Noongar country in the Great Southern. My dad was the only pharmacist in town, and my mum was a teacher, a justice of the peace, and a small-claims sit-in judge. Through their professions, both of my parents were very connected with the Mt Barker community and had everyday interaction with local Aboriginal families with their health or justice issues.
This upbringing gave me a good understanding of not only health and social justice issues, but it also shaped me as a person to be respectful, empathetic and want to support people. In my first job working with an Aboriginal corporation, I quickly learnt how to engage respectfully, to listen hard and long, and I built my cultural intelligence. Fast forward to now, I am working in reconciliation teams, and I consider myself an ally as I am actively continuing to listen, learn and build my cultural intelligence.
My mum and dad however, have become very intolerant as they have aged. Like many Australians, they spoke rhetoric like: “Oh, do we have to keep talking about this?” “Why can’t they just figure it out?” “When can we move on?”
Reconciliation WA’s NRW 2026 Breakfast had a strong focus on WA’s Great Southern and the place-based reconciliation work happening in that area, so I used this angle to convince my parents to watch the broadcast. They watched it online via SBS On Demand, and to my surprise, it wasn’t the Great Southern content that captured their attention most; it was the keynote speech by Narelda Jacobs.
When Narelda spoke about how racism is alive and thriving in this current climate, that reconciliation isn’t done, that getting rid of racism isn’t done, that people are still stuck in generational trauma, and that people have the perception that the world doesn’t accept them, it struck them that the way they spoke about Aboriginal people was feeding these issues. My mum said to me that, going forward, she would not speak in that way. “I understand now that racism and reconciliation are conversations we still need to have. We need to talk openly about it to our friends and family.”
The combination of Narleda’s words and hearing the Great Southern stories changed my parents’ perspective in one powerful moment. They realised that their views were out of date, and that they weren’t listening to the experiences Aboriginal people face today. One of the things that Narelda spoke about is how the media is so negative and casts so many aspersions against Aboriginal people and Community, which in turn influences societal views. That really hit home for my parents.
It occurred to me through this experience that the key to shifting people’s perspective on racism and reconciliation isn’t telling them my own views; it is sharing stories. The good stories, like how a local investment company is giving start-up Aboriginal businesses funding to build and grow their businesses, or that this generation of Aboriginal people is the first to own their own homes. Share stories with them about Aboriginal people who are overcoming challenges and living and breathing those positive experiences. Take them to events where they can hear those stories.
It’s what a person consumes and experiences that could change their perspectives or broaden their mind.
Mum is more open to talking to me about reconciliation now and listening to the stories.
Watch the Reconciliation WA NRW 2026 Breakfast broadcast on SBS On Demand.
