Yarning circle a chance to share experience during NAIDOC Week, but elder encourages year-round conversations

Menang-Noongar elder Glenda Williams is encouraging the community to just reach out to start a conversation if they want to know more about Aboriginal culture and experiences in the region. She made the comments after leading a well-attended yarning circle event at the Albany Public Library on Monday as part of NAIDOC Week. For Ms Williams, the event was an opportunity to share details about her experience growing up on the Gnowangerup Mission. She said her experience was not all that different to the many Aboriginal children forcibly taken away from their families and brought up “not knowing who you are or where you belong”. “A lot of people don’t know how things were back in the day and they really have no idea,” she said. “They have no idea about what was there closed in a confined compound of a place. “On the other side of the mission, there were adult Aboriginals who weren’t allowed onto the side where the children were.” During the yarning circle, Ms Williams also talked with Albany Public Library local history co-ordinator Sue Lefroy about several photographs of the mission. The mission was opened in 1926 and was moved to a larger parcel of land in 1935, where it stayed until its eventual closure in 1983. Ms Williams said NAIDOC Week should not be the only week in the year when conversations about Aboriginal history and culture took place. “I think it should be in the school curriculum from a certain age,” she said. “It should not just be about one week in the 52 weeks of a year. “You can’t put 60,000 years into a week.” She said anyone in the community who wanted to know more just had to start up a conversation. “You can have a yarn to whoever,” she said. “You just have to say ‘I hope you don’t mind me asking’ or something like that. “How do you start a conversation? You just ask.” NAIDOC Week runs from July 2 to 9, with several events being held throughout Albany in the final days.