‘Spirit of place’ ‘The song of the land is the dance of the people’

Ngai icharlee – Greetings friends. My name is Karl Winda Telfer. My traditional name is Winda Kudnuitya which means third born owl. I grew up here on this land, sea and sky country. The language from my tongue holds a song of my spirit of place.

This is a deep story of connection I carry from birth in my bloodline/family clan. My mother Georgina Williams-Nganki Burka Mekauwe always spoke to me of this: who I am, where I come from and to not forget the old ways of our people.

I’m the first generation born off the mission. In my early years, we lived in Old Noarlunga – in Malpas Street right near the river, Ngankiparri (Onkaparinga River). I spent the first five years of my life living in that old red brick house with my mum and my three older siblings. Back then, there were only a handful of houses on Malpas and only one street light. This is where walking over country began for me. Mum would take us kids down to the river