A DAY IN THE LIFE OF THE YOUNGS

I remember a friend of mine asking me what the problems were facing Aboriginal people in Australia and what the solutions were two years ago standing outside the Desert View in Coober Pedy and quickly realising that I had no idea of the issues or possible solutions to these unbeknown problems.

Instantly I became acutely aware of the green nature of my ironic unawareness of this complex issue. Two years on and the issues that face the First Nations people of Australia are still cloudy but I feel as if a general willingness to listen and acknowledge my green status is leading to an openness of discussion and information around the day to day issues.

Monday the 30th of June I spent the day with the Young family at their home in Adelaide listening to their stories from growing up in a care free Pipalyatjara riding motor bikes, hunting and living in society with a youthful sense of nativity unaware of the disenfranchisement and the enforcement of living within a white system. This story triggered past memories of loss and grief and for a second I could hear my heartbeat within my head and a sensory presence of heat
surrounding my temples and ears.

Sitting on the couch with Clarrie he began to recall stories of stealing Lena’s motorbike and heading north to the instantaneous laughter of the room. No one ever saw that 350CC again. After 8 frames we departed for a day of activities visiting the Centalink at Arndale, family on South Terrace and Housing SA at Port Adelaide followed by a quick lunch break. We lost Clarrie briefly, so after turning Clarrie’s phone off silent and helping him choose a ringtone, we tethered Lena’s phone via bluetooth to travel back to Adelaide to the soundtrack of Stevie Wonder, Jimmy Barns and a swag of tracks recorded out at Amata by PY Media.

After dropping Clarrie and his wife Tjalyiri in town, Lena and I began to speak one on one. Lena spoke passionately about her new house that she has been promised by Housing SA for her and her daughter to live in without the premises being a drinking house. I enquired about her brothers shoulder, which we didn’t photograph, which was like a huge abscess protruding from his right shoulder. Lena went on to explain that when their uncle had died and the family
were travelling to the funeral in the APY Lands Clarrie had launched himself from the moving car in extreme grief.
No medical solution had ever been sought and the issue literally just grew larger. Along with it came an overwhelming sense of hopelessness. I can associate with this feeling i’ve experienced periods of despondency where i’ve thought of launching myself out of a moving car or finding the system too overwhelming to live in.

The reality of living in a white system was exhausting, in the end travelling over 100km in one day without any real outcome or tangible result. The realisation that this was an much easier day for the trio having a motorcar to get to appointments and speak with agency workers rather than walk or wait for connecting public transport.

Connection and understanding through dialogue are essential to being informed on issues that face Aboriginal people all over Australia and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to sit alongside the Young family and listen to their stories of day to day life.

On the road with Sophie Matterson

When I got the call from Australian Geographic to track down Sophie Matterson and...

On Assignment for Australian Geographic

My prefered workflow is a calm, intent based, highly detail orientated process. Often times...

On living remotely

Among the backroads and unmarked trails of South Australia, tuck away, there is a...

TENAFEATE CREEK WINES

A One Tree Hill residence back in the 1800’s called the Homestead – “Tenafeate”,...

REVEALED

One of the best parts of being a photographer is sharing that passion with...

A PHOTOGRAPHIC EXPLORATION SCREENS ON NITV

The film, commissioned by NITV, was produced by Wankangurru / Adnyamathanha woman Lavene McKenzie...

CHARACTERS OF THE OUTBACK BEGINS

Since 1989 Jeff Boland has been maintaining his three hundred kilometre section of the...

UNDERGROUND COAL SEAM GAS AT COPLEY

Earlier in the year we were in Copley creating the TWO WAYS Series and...

Dusty Feet Mob \ THE IMPOSITION OF COLONISATION

I first met these guys in the sandhills of Davenport Community and it quickly...

NO BLACK SEAS Launched at ACE OPEN

No Black Seas is a specially commissioned exhibition of new works by artists from...

YURTU ARDLA PROJECT OPENS AT SAM

After two years of bush trips, wood collecting, workshops, museum visits and site specific...

REMOTE LIFE

There’s something quite charming about living in a remote town. A lot of inner...

Working Underground

One of the most challenging types of photography is architectural. Add to that the...

Fremantle International Portrait Prize 2019

The timing of this worked out perfectly being in Perth for the Exposure Mentoring...

VOICE TREATY TRUTH

First Peoples sovereignty has never been ceded – not in 1788, not in 1967,...

NATIONAL PORTRAIT PRIZE 2019

I’m a big fan of one thing doing two things or even three things....

NATIONAL PORTRAIT PRIZE 2018

It’s been a very busy year and not much of that has been personal...

PETER ‘STONEY’ STONE

Meeting Stoney up at his shack at Blanche Harbour was meant to be. Over...

LIMITLESS FIRST NATIONS PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION

Two years in the making the mentoring was a way of empowering community on...

NAIDOC THEME RESONATES WITH THE NATION

As leaders, trailblazers, politicians, activists and social change advocates, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander...

CityMag Editorial Commission

Culture is not always conscious. It is not just what is seen or heard....

GOVERNOR GENERAL SIR PETER COSGROVE VISITS DAVENPORT COMMUNITY

On his tour of South Australia Sir Peter Cosgrove, Governor General of Australia, stopped...

FOOTSTEPS \ The Road to Recovery

Photographed over four days on the west side of Port Augusta was a really...

BARNGARLA ‘SONGS’ PROJECT UNDERWAY

The project is being broken down into three stages: – Documentation and Collection of...

AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS

Great to finish the year with a bang. HOPE, a work derived from the...

PHOTOGRAPHIC MENTORING IN DAVENPORT COMMUNITY

Since August 2016 the mentoring project has been running within the Davenport Community in...

SPIRIT FESTIVAL

This was my second time as Official Photographer so it was great meeting new...

SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINAL SPORTS FESTIVAL PORT AUGUSTA

Always a huge honour to be asked to travel around country to facilitate community....

1 2