As a Yorta Yorta and Bangerang woman, it is my greatest honour to descend from matriarchs that have existed and maintained this continent for over 60,000 years – and to belong to the assembly that experienced the first sunrise, that sung the first song and that felt the warmth of the first fire. Yet, when reflecting on our existence, admittedly, it’s hard at times to think about anything beyond the struggle, trauma and continued strength and resilience that’s demanded of First Nations peoples to just survive.
For the past two-and-a-half centuries, First Nations peoples have been navigating a colonial state that was built on our bodies. One that hardens communities,
