Year 12 Sociology - Guest Speaker Incursion

On Friday the 23rd of March, Tarneit Senior College enjoyed a unique experience as we welcomed Uncle Brian Morley, an Aboriginal Elder of the Wotjobaluk Nation and a victim of the 20th century Assimilation Policy, commonly referred to as the Stolen Generations. 

Brian spoke to our Year 12 Sociology students as part of their studies on cultural suppression, misconception, and raising public awareness of Indigenous Issues. During this presentation, Brian shared his experiences of being forcibly removed from his mother at 2 years old and the subsequent traumas and emotional impacts this had on his life. Students learned about his journey to discovering his true identity, reconnecting with his birth family and Indigenous culture, and how Brian has used music and truth-telling to heal from decades of suffering as a result of the clinical removal of his cultural heritage by the 20th-century Australian Government. Brian performed one of his songs for the students, demonstrating how his experiences have been transformed into lyrical truth-telling as a means of raising cultural awareness of Indigenous history, culture, and self-expression. Finally, Brian left students with an Indigenous perspective on how Australia can continue to move towards Reconciliation and supporting the Indigenous Community; through education, truth-telling, and acknowledgement of the past.

Uncle Brian Morley would like to thank the students of Tarneit Senior College for being an excellent and engaged audience. Likewise, we would like to thank Brian for visiting the school and sharing his deeply personal, reflective, and meaningful insights and experiences with our students. 

-Ash Sevior (Sociology Teacher)