Transcript

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My name is Casey and I’m a 24 year old Ngarrindjeri man. I grew up in Murray Bridge. I have quite a large Ngarrindjeri family. My heritage lines draw from Kingston in the south east where the Ngarrindjeri are known as a strong costal warrior group. They have strong ties to the Coorong and the animal the pelican. Currently I study social work and social planning here at Flinders. I guess coming from a disadvantaged minority myself I’m extremely passionate about using this degree to find ways to ease the disadvantage of my people. When I was a kid, I’d do indigenous activities such as attending Ngarrindjeri coroborees at Raukkan with my family. Growing up in a Ngarrindjeri family was interesting. I learnt a lot of Ngarrindjeri words before I learnt to speak English properly. I guess playing with all my aboriginal cousins didn’t seem weird to me. But then going to a Lutheran school and realising that I looked like everyone else because I had white skin, and that I didn’t actually have black skin sort of lead to a bit of an identity crisis, or the beginning of an identity crisis it will always sit with me for the rest of my life. When I was at school, it was quite interesting having people tell me I wasn’t aboriginal because I had white skin and I would cry when I got home because I didn’t have black skin like my brother and the rest of my cousins so I guess that was an interesting aspect to my childhood. I’d like to see myself in 10 years owning a mental health clinic in a regional area for both indigenous and non-indigenous people and I guess I’d like to be involved in a federal level both in politics and policy to influence the way Australians see indigenous people. I believe being an indigenous Australian definitely makes me stronger. There is a lot of discrimination against aboriginal people and that upsets me, whether it’s directed towards me or whether it’s directed towards other people. But I guess having a clear goal gives me something to fight for and that makes me happy.