It’s the first proper break I’ve had in two years, so I thought I’d take a rest from blogging until after I return on Jan 4th.
I’d like to take this opportunity of thanking all our readers for spending time on Sharing Culture. Thank you for your comments (on website and facebook), emails, content suggestions, facebook shares and general support.
Thanks to Pip Gordon, Annalise Jennings, Nicole Kinnaird, Donald Moi and Dave Walker for providing guest blogs.
I’d also like to thank all members of our international network of Advisors for linking up with Sharing Culture and for some very kind comments. I know we’ll do some exciting things together over the coming years.
In May/June, I spent the most amazing time in the Northern Territory, visiting Darwin, Nauiyu, Katherine and the Barunga Festival. I would like to send my very best wishes to Miriam Rose Ungunmerr Baulmann (and all my new friends in Nauiyu); Pip and Jonathan Gordon and their beautiful children Caleb and Erin; my Cultural Tour Family, Ash Dargan, Judy Atkinson and the others I met along my journey.
A very, very special moment for me was to be adopted by the family of Rembarrgna traditional healer Miliwanga Wurrben. I am deeply honoured to become part of Mili’s family and for her to be part of mine.
Through this adoption, I have a new sister, the beautiful spirit-filled Jawoyn Senior Elder, Margaret Katherine, and a new nephew, sound healer Julian Silburn who lives here in Perth. My new family has helped open my eyes to a new world and has really inspired me.
Sadly, we have not managed to attract funding for Sharing Culture yet, which has greatly limited what we can do. The lack of response on this front is a sad contrast to the enthusiasm of our Advisors and supporters at a grassroots level. I’m sure that our time for funding will be coming soon.
We have so many plans for Sharing Culture and I will spend some time in the UK planning for the coming year.
During the year, my Yappa (sister) Miliwanga Wurrben sent me a letter saying: “I hope that in your way you might support us to allow others to hear about the lives, the culture and the many stories of Indigenous People in Australia.”
This is one of my priorities for the coming year. I also want to develop a documentary film focused on Miliwanga Wurbben and Margaret Katherine and their peoples and culture. It will be such a wonderful opportunity for me to learn more about Aboriginal culture, spirituality and history… and to tell Stories of beautiful Aboriginal people and their lives.
Miliwanga and Margaret really want to visit some Native American communities and one of my major aims is to help them achieve their ambition… and make a film about the trip.
Talking film, my colleague filmmaker Michael Liu and I have been in the research and development phase of our ‘Revel’ documentary, a film about Noongar artist Revel Cooper (one of the best-known of the Carrulup child artists). I can’t tell you how excited I am about this project. We’ve been putting together a formidable team and coming across some fascinating facts.
Special thanks to good friends who have inspired me - and provided additional support - during the year. Thank you Carlie and Judy Atkinson, Christina Burki, Cathy Coomer, John Cusack, Matt Erb, Karen Hume, Zohl de Ishtar, Annalise Jennings, and Noel Nannup. And thank you for the healing, Julian.
And finally…
Thank you to my Sharing Culture colleague Michael Liu for being such an inspiring and thoughtful colleague… and for helping me to think differently. I couldn't have asked for a better companion on this Sharing Culture adventure.
And thank you my darling Linda, for all your support, kindness and love during the past years.
An early Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all!