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Join an event. Happening today.

AMAA: With Saltwaterdreamtime

This month formerly Ask A Pro Live is getting a makeover - welcome to Ask Me Almost Anything. Same event but different name which highlights the value of having these discussions with peers as well as professionals. 

 

 

 

This month we are doing something super special. We are really excited to kick off the event name change by talking to a leader in our community here on the forum. This is someone who has been part of the ReachOut family for a very long time and someone we are really proud of. 

 

Our very own @Saltwaterdreamtime is our guest for this months Ask Me Almost Anything! Shoot through your questions as we will be chatting about their journey with mental health and experience as a proud Arrernte man. Read saltwaterdreamtime's bio below: 

 

"I go by saltwaterdreamtime and I am a 25 year old Arrernte man living in Wadawurrung country. These two places are so different but mean so much to mean in different ways, and I can’t wait to be able to tell you more about why they are special to me. I’ve been using Reach Out for about 6 or 7 years now, it has been a really big part of my journey through difficulties with my mental health. I’ve lived with a number of mental health issues for a long time, and although I still have some bad days sometimes I know how to look after myself and what I need to do to manage my wellbeing, and keep on top of it.

 

I feel my time with ReachOut has been a huge part of that. I’m really really looking forward to being a part of this chat, NAIDOC week is a great opportunity for me to show off one of the things that is most important to me which is my culture."

 

I'm looking forward to this one and I bet you all are too. We will be chatting this Thursday the 12th of November, so get your questions in fast and set a reminder to join in. 

 

 

 

Join us LIVE November 12th 7pm - 9pm AEDT

Bre-RO
Bre-ROPosted 09-11-2020 03:10 PM

Comments (6 pages)

 
 
 
 
 
Hannah-RO
Hannah-ROPosted 12-11-2020 07:46 PM
So true @Hozzles me too!
 
 
 
 
 
Lost_Space_Explorer5
Lost_Space_Explorer5Posted 12-11-2020 07:39 PM
It's really beautiful you've found that sense of belonging @saltwaterdreamtime 🙂 And yeah, another user always gets tagged instead of me unless you go into the normal reply instead of quick reply. It seems like your tag is being dodgy too so twinning in that respect hahaha 😛
 
 
 
 
 
Hannah-RO
Hannah-ROPosted 12-11-2020 07:41 PM

Omg twinning odd tags @Lost_Space_Explorer5  and @Saltwaterdreamtime ! I have actually never ever used the quick reply until like 10 min ago, so thanks for the tip Cat LOL

 
 
 
 
 
Hannah-RO
Hannah-ROPosted 12-11-2020 07:37 PM
I love this response @saltwaterdreamtime, absolutely fighting for whats right after everything is something to be so incredibly proud of. And I love what you said about interconnectedness and that being a part of everyday life.
 
 
 
 
 
Saltwaterdreamtime
SaltwaterdreamtimePosted 12-11-2020 07:38 PM
I’m pretty sure I knew some names of my grandparents but apart from that I started at nothing
 
 
 
 
 
Hannah-RO
Hannah-ROPosted 12-11-2020 06:59 PM

Alrighty folks! Let’s get started!

 

What an absolute delight and a treat to have you with us @Saltwaterdreamtime !

 

 

Here’s our first question...

  1. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
Saltwaterdreamtime
SaltwaterdreamtimePosted 12-11-2020 07:04 PM
  1. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I sure can. I am 25 years old and I live on Wadawurrung Country. When I’m not working as a landscaper  I spend my time surfing, skating, and just being outdoors. I have a growing young family who I love to go on adventures with, discovering what is in our area. I am proud to be an Arrernte man, but also proud to call where I live home too. 

 
 
 
 
 
Hozzles
HozzlesPosted 12-11-2020 07:10 PM

Good to see you on the forums again @Saltwaterdreamtime! I'm looking forward to this chat. Smiley Very Happy 
I'm also logging in tonight from Wadawurrung land Smiley Surprised. I've only recently learnt just how much land that covers. I've also been looking a bit into the language today, actually! 

 
 
 
 
 
Hannah-RO
Hannah-ROPosted 12-11-2020 07:13 PM
That is really cool @Hozzles!
 
 
 
 
 
Saltwaterdreamtime
SaltwaterdreamtimePosted 12-11-2020 07:11 PM
@Hozzles It’s really big isn’t it!?
 
 
 
 
 
Saltwaterdreamtime
SaltwaterdreamtimePosted 12-11-2020 07:17 PM
@Hannah-RO a bit cute... just not at 7pm haha or 4am, or any time between 7pm and 6am for that matter.


2. Can you tell us a bit about your culture and how you learnt about this growing up?

This is a really interesting question for me because I actually didn’t know much about my culture all growing up. I had to learn as an adult. I knew I was Indigenous, but apart from that we didn’t really share much. I grew up living with lots of different people too so that didn’t help much. I learnt most about my background in my 20s.
But the Arrernte people are from Central Australia. More specifically my grandparents were a part of the stolen generation and they lived in a town in the Simpson Desert. I’m not too sure if I can name it. This land also covers Alice Springs which we all know. I will post a little map in one sec.
 
 
 
 
 
WheresMySquishy
WheresMySquishyPosted 12-11-2020 07:20 PM

It must have been so interesting learning about your heritage @Saltwaterdreamtime. As I am not Indigenous myself, I have already learned so much from this chat too!

 
 
 
 
 
Lost_Space_Explorer5
Lost_Space_Explorer5Posted 12-11-2020 07:20 PM
Sorry to hear you weren't able to connect with your culture when you were younger @Saltwaterdreamtime 😞 I'm glad you were able to connect with it eventually though
 
 
 
 
 
Saltwaterdreamtime
SaltwaterdreamtimePosted 12-11-2020 07:21 PM
@lost_Space_Explorer5 it took a lot of effort, and I mean a lot. I couldn’t find out from parents so I literally started at 0 information
 
 
 
 
 
Lost_Space_Explorer5
Lost_Space_Explorer5Posted 12-11-2020 07:24 PM
I can imagine it would have been so hard as a lot of culture was lost in the stolen generation? How did you manage to find some answers?
 
 
 
 
 
Saltwaterdreamtime
SaltwaterdreamtimePosted 12-11-2020 07:26 PM
I spoke to lots of people @lost_space_explorer5 lots and lots of people, I hit a lot of dead ends but I found one person and sometimes that’s all you need. I had a staff member at uni come into contact with me, I’m actually not sure how it came about, maybe through mental health support I was seeking at the time and it turned out it was kind of their job to help people with that stuff.
 
 
 
 
 
WheresMySquishy
WheresMySquishyPosted 12-11-2020 07:31 PM

We had a staff member like that at my second high school @Saltwaterdreamtime. She was a teacher but she had set up a group for people to learn more about Indigenous culture and for Indigenous students to connect with each other. I think I went to one of the meetings and it was really valuable.

 
 
 
 
 
Saltwaterdreamtime
SaltwaterdreamtimePosted 12-11-2020 07:36 PM
@WheresMySquishy pretty cool hey! Lots more happening in terms of youth reference/action groups now than ever before. I recently found out that a school my partner does some work with on occasion has one of the highest rates of Indigenous students in the region, and they are doing some cool stuff.
 
 
 
 
 
Lost_Space_Explorer5
Lost_Space_Explorer5Posted 12-11-2020 07:30 PM
Woah that's awesome they had a staff member devoted to helping people reconnect @Saltwaterdreamtime It sound like you put in so so much effort to get where you are now, that would have taken a lot of determination and resilience
 
 
 
 
 
Saltwaterdreamtime
SaltwaterdreamtimePosted 12-11-2020 07:35 PM
I don’t know why your tag keeps coming up weird @lost_space_explorer5 but I’m pretty sure it was their job, I’m not too sure on specifics, but it was either their job or they spent a lot of time working with me pro bono hahahaha
 
 
 
 
 
Saltwaterdreamtime
SaltwaterdreamtimePosted 12-11-2020 07:23 PM
I think that’s one thing that frustrates me as an adult, i think we could be and we should be doing more in schools, watching rabbit proof fence once a year isn’t sufficient, I mean, don’t get me wrong, great movie, but you can do better
 
 
 
 
 
Ladybug
LadybugPosted 12-11-2020 07:28 PM

I agree. I find it more than a little disappointing that there is little taught to young people in schools about indigenous culture and history considering how important it is in our country's history. I understand that there was not much documented indigenous history from ancient times but I still feel that more should be done to educate on indigenous culture here in Australia. 

 
 
 
 
 
WheresMySquishy
WheresMySquishyPosted 12-11-2020 07:25 PM

I agree with you @Saltwaterdreamtime. I think Indigenous culture should be covered more in schools.

 
 
 
 
 
Hannah-RO
Hannah-ROPosted 12-11-2020 07:41 PM

It is time for our next question! It's a bit of a big one...

4. What have you learned from your life experiences? It could be something you've learned about yourself or about the world.

 

 
 
 
 
 
Hannah-RO
Hannah-ROPosted 12-11-2020 07:56 PM

Here comes our next question specifically about NAIDOC week, and here's a pic of this years poster Smiley Very Happy

5. What does NAIDOC week mean to you?

 

2020 NAIDOC Week Poster Winner 'Shape of Land' Tyrown Waigana

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