Video Transcription

How I connect with culture when times get tough

My experience of going through the floods was very difficult, but in the end, we got through it, and we’re still getting through it today. It’s a long road ahead.

We were locked in our streets for about eight days—no power, no food. It was hard seeing everyone having that experience of losing all their stuff. You can never imagine that happening and how devastating it was losing all your belongings.

With my mental health, I was walking up and down the street every day. Doing that 3K walk every day—up and back, up and back, all day—and going through all the fruit trees along the side of the road kept us going. On the walk, in a bit of water, so yeah, we were prepared.

The advice I’d give to people going through the recovery of natural disasters is that it’s a long road ahead. But it’s going to get better, and there’s always light at the end of the tunnel—that’s what I’ve been told.

I love sport. It’s been my life since I was little. It was something I could just get out of the house, focus on, and let my energy out. Having ADHD, you always have energy, so sport was the best way to do it.

When I had troubles at home, playing sport would clear my mind from that. It would change what I thought about stuff and give me a different perspective on life.

For me, keeping my mental health strong is about connecting with culture—dancing, singing. It’s something that I can interpret what I’m feeling into, something I love. It’s a way to keep me connected to how I feel and who I am.

I teach the Aboriginal boys’ dance group. It’s a hard job, I tell you that for sure. No one wants to do it, but it’s something that has to be done because you don’t want dance to be lost.

I want to show what I’ve been taught from my Elders. I reckon the best way of keeping it alive is teaching the young brothers how to do it and keeping it going from generation to generation.