Guest Speaker

On Monday the 17th of March, Tarneit Senior College welcomed back Uncle Brian Morley, an Indigenous Elder from the Jardwajali Nation, to speak with the students in Year 12 Sociology, as part of their studies on Indigenous Culture. 

During his presentation, Uncle Brian spoke to the students about his experiences as a member of the Stolen Generation; he spoke about how the Victorian Government removed him from his family at two years old, and placed him in custody before resettling him with adoptive parents without disclosing his Indigenous heritage. He spoke with students about the crisis of identity that he has experienced as a result of this trauma throughout his life, including personal struggles and the loss of connection he experienced with his Indigenous heritage and culture - this included the ongoing sense of exclusion felt by him and his daughter to the present day.

Uncle Brian also took this experience to share with students his perspective on a range of political issues, from Reconciliation policies proposed by the Australian Government, the importance of acknowledging history and Indigenous custodianship of Land, to how students and members of the local community can support the healing process and become allies of the oldest continuing civilisation on Earth. He also shared with the students how he turned to music as a healing process and how he uses lyrics to share his stories with the wider community as part of the truth-telling process.

Tarneit Senior College feels extremely fortunate to have hosted Uncle Brian, and thanks him for giving his time to share his experiences with students, who all gained a unique insight into the history of Indigenous suppression and reconciliation thanks to his generosity.

Ash Sevior and Zoya Kitik

- Year 12 Sociology