16/10/2025
Hey there, what are you up to? What am I up to, you ask?
Well, I’m over here making generational change, working to shift over 230 years of colonial disadvantage that I, & many First Nations peoples, face every day.
In my lifetime so far, I’ve seen history made, both positive & negative decisions & practices across industry, government, & society. Here are just a few:
âś… Positive: A Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (1991)
❌ Negative: As at 2024/25, a further 600 Aboriginal deaths in custody
âś… Positive: The Apology (2008) to the Stolen Generations
❌ Negative: The Voice to Parliament Referendum, its design, politicisation & outcome.
âś… Positive: Treaty for Victoria.
❌ Negative: “Didn’t we vote no to that?” a question “no voters” have on shortcut to any & everything First Nations.
The list goes on... perhaps I have lost some of you by now?
For those I haven’t, thank you for reading & reflecting with me, because what I’m about to share is deeply meaningful.
The morning of Tuesday, 14 October 2025, 2 Years on from the Referendum, my daughter & I joined many strong First Nations women of all ages, life circumstances, & mobs.
We talked, laughed, dreamed, listened, shared, learned, & spoke truths... continuing our chosen path toward generational healing & change.
We did this. First Nations peoples did this.
Why is that important? because...
WE know what WE need.
WE know what it should look like; &
WE know how to do it with cultural safety, respect, & healing.
The survival & strength in that room were overwhelming.
I found myself sitting, eyes closed, breathing in the sound, scent, spirit, & strength.
It grounded me.
That afternoon, I witnessed history as Treaty was presented to the Victorian Parliament to debate. In all its raw, honest, & visionary form by strong & courageous Traditional Owners, representing the collective First Peoples of Victoria.
Tears started deep within my spirit & rolled down my face.
My daughter beside me, & on our ancestors’ shoulders, we both stood.
She looked at me & asked “Mum, what will tomorrow look like?”
Breath-taken by her, I replied: “You, my darling Daughts, You are what tomorrow looks like.”
Each morning I rise to my Cultural responsibility.
This is why my Blak business is named Arranyinha, my Adnyamathanha Yakarti Mityi, meaning *First Born Woman of my Mother*.
Everything I do is to continue the fight that began before me.
I didn’t choose this fight, I was gifted it.
For me, the "fight" represents challenging and changing systems, policy, & societal bias, responding through cultural strategy, wisdom, education, belonging, & healing.
So, I ask again...What are you up to? Are you with me?
If you’re not sure, what can I, Arranyinha, do to enhance your understanding, knowledge, awareness, & strategy for your relational responsibility & your role in generational healing & change to take flight?
