Noongar elder Lesley Ugle offers Australia Day perspective and importance of ‘walking on country together’

As the nation prepares for a day filled with fireworks, food and festivities one local Indigenous elder has offered a sobering reminder that acknowledgement of Australia’s First Nations people should always be at the forefront of community-wide celebrations. “Australia Day is a celebration of our country,” said Noongar elder and Harvey resident Lesley Ugle, who has been a part of community Australia Day celebrations for just under half a century. “I think it is time we all started walking on this country together, being of the same mind, feeling the country and listening to the country as we all should,” she said. “Myself and my husband go down to Australia Day (celebrations), we’ve been going since the 80s, going along to Australia day events.” “I have always been invited to do welcome to country, I’ve been doing it for the last few years, I’m happy to do it because it does start a conversation.” Ms Ugle said recent conversations around changing the date of Australia Day are loaded but is a question that should be “put out there”. “It’s a big conversation to be had but I think what we have been going through at the moment with COVID-19, it could turn into a very, very simple understanding of what Australia is all about,” she said. “Acknowledging that you are in a special place at a special time.” Opening up events and citizenship ceremonies with welcome to country across the Shire of Harvey, Ms Ugle said, is a platform to ask questions and for questions to be answered. “When I do a welcome to country it’s reminding people of where we are and an acknowledgement of the respect you have to give to places people and culture,” she said. “A big part of our healing is listening, feeling and taking notice of our surroundings.” “We have to have the past because it teaches us, because a long that journey there’s mistakes that can be corrected and these are the things we have to learn from to make us better people.”