This is Moira.
A proud Gunggari woman and great grandmother who is respectfully and lovingly known as Aunty Moira. She is the president of the Noonga Reconciliation Group here in North Brisbane. One of eight children, she was born in Cherbourg, an ‘Aboriginal Settlement’ that her grandparents were relocated to.
She tells me that, despite their history, her family did well so they have spent their lives giving back and helping others to rise. This has not always been easy – even with 34 years working in both state and federal level public service and sitting at the big tables, her voice on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples issues was not heard. Watching the coming and going of funding and programs with the changes of government and staffing has been (and is) frustrating.
Moira was one of the Brisbane voices that contributed to the creation of the Uluru Statement from the Heart. “What we most need is a permanent body that can consistently focus on delivering the programs that we need to effectively close the gaps, regardless of who is in power at the time.”
Moira is the Community Education Counsellor at Wavell Heights High School where she supports the local Murri Kids with the full backing of the school. A tennis fan, Moira dreams of attending Wimbledon and, if it wasn’t for COVID, she would have already ticked this off her list.
If you want to go beyond the binary yes or no, please stay up to date with Moira and the team at Noonga Reconciliation visit their website at noongarg.org.au.
What’s your Project focuses on inspiring locals, interviewed and photographed by local contributor Gaylia Lee. Read more of Gaylia’s contributions here.
