“YAAMA AND HELLO

 

I’d like to introduce myself.

 

My name’s Kerrie Saunders, I’m a Gomeroi/Guumbraay woman from Moree, northwest NSW. Born, raised, and still living here in Moree, where the population’s around 7,070. Moree means “big water hole” and “rising sun.” It’s known for its rich black soil plains and the hot water springs that flow continuously – the perfect climate for native grasses and plants to thrive.

 

Growing up, I lived on the Mehi Mission, on the bottom end of Moree. I remember playing as a small child in the grasslands, making string, hearing the sounds of wild geese and loud frogs, and taking in the scents of the bush. Times were hard back then; we grew up poor. My parents were controlled under the Act – the white government’s policies that restricted us and many other families, keeping us from certain places.”