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Family Gathering
So you’ve decided you want to trace your family, but you’re not sure where to start? Tracing family members or researching your family history might sound like a daunting task, but these days you don’t have to face it alone. There are heaps of organisations across Australia that can help Aboriginal people trace and reunite […]
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Right, Said Fred
Name: Fred Cobbo Fred Cobbo, 35, has two daughters – Brittney, 11 and Cassandra, 10 – whom he adores. One day he envisions them having big city jobs, and pursuing their interests in dancing and the culinary arts. He attributes their success to his emphasis on education, which he considers “very important for life learning”. […]
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Stop the hurting (Abuse)
We’ve all been shocked by the reports of violence and child abuse in our communities. This is something that affects all of us ” not just the victims. According to the Child Protection Australia 2004-05 Report, released in January by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), the number of Australian children suffering abuse […]
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Give Her Five Any Time
Name: Adele Chapman-Burgess Parents who are doing their best to raise a large family won’t find a better role model for tackling large tasks with poise and vigour than Adele Chapman-Burgess. In 1982, Adele became the first Aboriginal woman to give birth to quins. Since then, she has become just as accustomed to camera crews […]
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It Takes Two, Baby (Relationships)
A good relationship won’t just fall into your lap ” you need to work at it. Companionship is a basic human need. It’s in our nature to seek love, affection and someone to share our lives with. If the relationship we have with that special someone is strong and healthy, our lives our fulfilled ” […]
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The Love Goes Round
Name: Bella Savo When it comes to ambition and willingness to succeed, Bella Savo’s four children -Anthony, 12, Kerry, 11, Marion, 8, and Trevor, 6 – couldn’t have a better example than their own mum. Originally from Thursday Island, Bella has been an important and influential member of the Weipa community for 20 years. Weipa, […]
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Becoming A Parent
When you become a parent, everything changes. Just like that. There isn’t a book, video or pep talk that can wholly prepare you for the responsibility of bringing a little being into the world, then bringing them up. Becoming a parent is also a very emotional experience, especially if you’re a first-timer. That said, it […]
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A Lesson In Love
Name: Kevin Kropinyeri Being a parent is all about sacrifice. And being a good father, particularly a young one, takes enormous sacrifice and character. For Kevin Kropinyeri, the sacrifices he made for his family were not so tough because the gift he received in return was far greater. “I find that I have a more […]
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Bringing Them Home – You Don’t Have To Do It Alone
Bringing Them Home counsellors came into existence in the late ’90s in response to the growing number of Indigenous families dealing with the effects of the Stolen Generations. Sandy Laughton is a Bringing Them Home (BTH) counsellor at the Goondir Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Service in Dalby, Queensland. Goondir Health Service looks after […]
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Maude’s Great Advice
Name: Elizabeth Maude Olbor Elizabeth Maude Olbor, or Maude as she is known to her friends, has lived almost her whole life in the small Cape York community of Hopevale. At the moment, Hopevale is dry, dusty and hot, and when it rains it floods. Well, that’s according to Maude, and personally she couldn’t think […]
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Gambling
According to many Elders, gambling is destroying Aboriginal communities. Kooris have always gambled with each other as a social activity, however the money would always stay in the community. But it’s different now. The pokies take money from these communities and they never see it again. Many communities are impoverished enough as it is. They […]
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Man of culture
Name: Kevin Slabb Kevin Slabb describes his picturesque home of Fingal on the NSW North Coast as the best area in the world. In fact, Kevin was born in the Tweed district and has lived in Fingal his whole life, raising his family, together with his wife Julie, in the house his father built for […]
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Grief
We all know or will know what it is like to feel grief. Grief comes from loss, and it can be from any loss. It may be the result of the end of a friendship; giving up a child; moving away from family or loved ones; a job loss or the death of someone we […]
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Being a mum is fun
Name: Suzanne Parsons With four kids and another on the way, you would think Suzanne Parsons from Kempsey would be craving a bit of adult time. However, when it comes to kids and supporting Indigenous families, Suzanne just can’t get enough. As a family support worker at the Durri Aboriginal Medical Service, Suzanne believes it’s […]
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If In Doubt, Just Chill Out
The end of the year can send people into a spin! There always seems so much to do around the end of the year, including Christmas celebrations, school holidays and the New Year. It is the holiday season, a time when we get together with family and friends to enjoy each other’s company and have […]
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Chipping In to help
Name: Dawn Likouresis Dawn Likouresis first came to the remote South Australian town of Coober Pedy when she was just 20. After what was originally meant to be only a three-day visit, Dawn decided to stay in Coober Pedy and is now an integral member of the community where she has lived for the past […]
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