Hi my name is Theo Javangwe and I am part Indigenous Australian and part
African (Zimbabwean). I was born in Kalgoorlie, which is a large country town
located in the Goldfields region of Western Australia. I am a descendant of the
Wongutha/ Ngadju and Mirning tribes, whose traditional lands are located in the
Gibson/central desert, Goldfields-Esperance Region and along the Nullarbor
plains into South Australia.
I have always been very interested in my cultural heritage and often asked the
elders in my family about our history. Over the years I have learnt a lot about my
family’s Indigenous heritage. My great-grandmother and great-grandfather were a
part of the ‘stolen generation’. My great-grandmother, who is now deceased, was
stolen from her traditional lands around Cosmo Newberry in Western Australia. At
this time she was only a very young girl leading a traditional life and did not speak
a word of English. My great-grandmother had only one sister, whom the
authorities also wanted to capture because they were considered ‘half caste’
children. The authorities refused to give rations to my great-grandmother’s family
until they handed her sister in, which they eventually did. They grew up in a
Christian Mission were they were taught Christian ways, European culture and
domestic skills. This is where my great-grandmother met my great-grandfather. I
would love to tell you more about my elders, but I’ll leave it at that.
As I mentioned earlier, I was born in Kalgoorlie. Here I lived for two years until
moving to Perth. As a young child growing up in Perth I often found it hard to be
accepted by my fellow Aboriginals, as I looked very African. This was very
upsetting because I was very proud of My Aboriginality and didn’t see myself as
any different from the other children. I went to various schools in Perth and
Kalgoorlie and finished my primary school education at Perth Montessori School.
During high school I attended a private college in Perth and resided with my
father. This was a very challenging time for me as I was not particularly close with
my father and I yearned for my Mother and siblings, who lived on the other side of
the city. After losing my grandmother in 2006 and consequently losing sight of my
dreams and education, my father decided to send me to boarding school in South
Australia. This proved to be the most worthwhile and valuable experience in my
life. I graduated school from Westminster School in South Australia, where I
received a quality education and met life- long friends.
During my last year of high school I applied for a collegiate scholarship to Bond
University to pursue my life- long ambition of becoming a lawyer and Indigenous
leader. I moved up to the Gold Coast in January of this year to begin my double
degree of Law and International Relations/ Business. My first semester at Bond
University was very challenging as I longed for my family and culture back home.
So I decided to take this semester off. Being an Indigenous Australian means a lot
to me. It means I belong to a people and culture that have inhabited Australia for
thousands of years, and have one of the longest surviving cultures in the world. I
am hopefully returning to Bond University next semester to complete my studies
and fulfil my goals and dreams. I hope to one day become a successful lawyer,
leader and advocate for human rights.
Meet: Theo Javangwe