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Sue Martin
they wanted to work together to build the First Nation ’ s involvement and raise their profile in the Hills which was prompted by the council not paying tribute to the local First Nations at their meetings , an issue which has since been addressed .”
Sue views the environment and Hills Yarning as part of the same big picture , which is to get people being as connected to the place they live as she has become . To Sue , walking beside our local First Nations people means learning from elders like Uncle Wes and Aunty Rita about the environment as they were taught .
“ I ’ d like to educate communities on understanding how important it is to take care of where they live , to tread gently , know their area and look after it . For me looking after where we live is part of our Australian identity , to understand the culture which is here , value it and take it on . This is my place , I think gaining the wisdom of the First People and their ancestors should be part of life for all Australians .”
It ’ s not just learning from our elders that is important to Sue and Hills Yarning , it ’ s also healing past wounds . Last year one of those healing events was the change of name of Langford Smith Close in Kellyville to Nimbus Close . Langford Smith had founded the Marella Mission on what is now the Bernie Mullane sports complex . Local elder , Aunty Rita was one of the children placed in the farm with her sister Janet when they were stolen from their families and she had campaigned to get his name removed for several years before it finally happened .
“ A big issue for us was awareness of the Morella Misson , which was a source of trauma and hurt for stolen generation in Kellyville . Part of that local reconciliation with Aunty Rita , was to help to get the name changed , which was successful .”
This year Sue told me the focus is on helping the council with NAIDOC week celebrations and they will be holding their own events in line with council events .
“ Hills Yarning are having an event at Bella Vista Farm on July 11 to celebrate NAIDOC , the first time they have done something about this and we are supporting council .”
Between work , volunteering for CHEN and helping out at Hills Yarning I ’ m not sure how Sue has any time or energy to relax , but the old saying of if you want something done , ask a busy person certainly holds true with her .
To find out more about what events and projects Hills Yarning are holding you can go to their Facebook page www . facebook . com / HillsYarning .
If you are interested in volunteering for CHEN , you can go to their website for more information at www . chen . org . au .
Sue ( r ) received the Environmental Citizen of the Year award for her work with CHEN .
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THE HILLS INDEPENDENT theindependentmagazine . com . au ISSUE 107 // MAY 2024 7