Gamilaraay yinarr (woman) Jenadel Lane is a teacher at Dubbo College Senior Campus who spent most of her life at Walgett. Here, she shares her thoughts on January 26, Australia Day, with the readers of Dubbo Photo News.
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Can you please tell us a bit about yourself, what you do, your ancestral connections and how the history of Australia Day has impacted you?
I am a Gamilaraay Yinarr - Gamilaraay meaning the land in which my people are from, Yinarr meaning woman. My family comes from the Gamilaraay of Walgett, and from the Gomeroi people from Narrabri. Walgett is where I spent the majority of my life. In my language, Walgett is spelt Walgiirr, meaning “place where the two rivers meet”. This place is special because it brings lots of communities together. My family is very rich in culture, we are often out on Country teaching and learning to keep our culture strong.
I have been a teacher for the past 16 years, and I’ve been teaching at Dubbo College Senior Campus for the past three years. I became a teacher to not only be a role model for my people, but to share knowledge about our people – our stories, our connection, our pride and our strength.
I think of Australia Day as not only a day of celebration, but also a day of commemoration. It’s a day where I think about my grandmother and her family who were not Gamilaraay or Gomeroi, and the hardships that she/they endured to create a home for themselves in Australia. I also reflect on my Gamilaraay and Gomeroi families who also endured hardships, and who had to also create a place to call home in Australia on a land that was once theirs.
Could you share with us an Indigenous person’s perspective of what happened when the European settlers landed on the shores of this land?
There is one word that comes to mind, and that is change. Change meant the loss of numerous people, loss of cultural knowledge, loss of identity, loss of belonging. We work really hard as a people now to put ourselves back together, to try to make ourselves whole again. And this can’t happen without the support of others.
What is your personal view on the Australia Day holiday?
As a Gamilaraay Yinarr, I am definitely appreciative of the theme this year (Reflect, Respect, Celebrate). It is time to acknowledge and empathise with all people and their stories. To many it is Australia Day and to many it is Survival Day. On this day in particular, I remember fond memories of my grandmother. She was not Aboriginal, and we spent lots of time together. She would take me out on Country, not for culture, but she was one of the many that showed me what the meaning of Country is.
And then I have my mother and father, who are Gamilaraay and Gomeroi, and they cemented that connection to Country by showing me my culture, and deepening and strengthening my connection with Country, giving me my identity and a sense of belonging.
I thank my family and understand the truth about what it was really like to create this country from both perspectives. Australia is a place filled with proud and strong people, and this may be our issue. People often ask me how I feel, and I would have to say sad. Sad that here we are, it’s 2022 and the date is still contentious. Truly, ask yourself why that is.
As told to Mackena Dennis
