Foreword to Total Reset: Bridging Cultures and Wisdom(p.xi)

DANIEL ROE

GM, GOOLARABOOLOO MILLIBINYARRI INDIGENOUS CORPORATION

Photo credit : Julia Rau

This is written in acknowledgement of the author, Greg Campbell, and his long association and relationship with the Goolarabooloo family since the early 1990’s. Total Reset serves as a reminder to the reader that from time immemorial, discovering, understanding and accepting the relationship between country, spirit, lore and its people show the purpose of our very own existence.

Upon Greg’s acquaintance with our father/grandfather/great-grandfather/great-great-grandfather Paddy Roe (deceased and referred to as Lulu for cultural reasons), a long-lasting bond was created between them. His work with Lulu introduced him into the wider Goolarabooloo family which he became part of, along with his daughter Jasmine. Greg subsequently bought a property next to the community where he worked closely with Lulu and the rest of the family. He was able to enjoy the peace and tranquillity living a community life at Coconut Well with little disruption, allowing him to connect with country the way we Goolarabooloo always have.

The deep understanding and respect is mutual with all the family members with whom he has associated while working and living within the Goolarabooloo family group. Greg also shared his lifelong experiences with that of other countries and cultures which gave us a sense that he is undoubtedly a man with respect for all peoples and their cultures. His in-depth wisdom and personal life experiences taught us how similarities are shared with other cultures around the world; a dreaming and a connection where time, space, place, occurrence has a beginning and no end.

Culture is a living thing for everybody and remains so for all who wish to experience it. The heart of our culture is Bugarrigarra, the Dreaming, nothing apart from it. As Lulu often said, by digging deeper, going beyond the white soil on top we can find the black soil inside. It’s all there, at the bottom of everything.

Our culture continues to share and pass on age-old traditions and knowledge, still alive in the fabric of modern-day society and what we call ‘progress’. Our world as we know it is rapidly moving in one direction with little patience or regard for the preservation of the past and the importance of maintaining our cultural existence and traditional practices which so strongly support the wellbeing of Country for the benefit of future generations.

With the friendship and connection developed with Greg, we are very privileged and delighted to have him record our oral history and to share it with all people from all backgrounds and nationalities. He has participated in public corroboree with other members of the Broome community arranged by the Goolarabooloo family, a sign of non-Indigenous people embracing traditional aboriginal culture.

Seeing the pride in Greg as he learned about our culture, country, community and family gave him a sense of belonging to our culture in the way we hope to share with those who also wish to experience the feeling we call liyan.

Thanks to Greg, we now know that the true story is being told. It is one that seeks to preserve, maintain and pass on knowledge of how to live with Country proper to the generation of today and those to come.