During NAIDOC week, we took the opportunity to keep the fire burning by continuing conversations and reflections across our team meetings and also in individual staff conversations.

In the spirit of encouraging Australians to listen, learn, and engage in meaningful dialogue, our CEO, Rob Ryan, sat down to have a chat with Senior Practice Design Specialist Vannessa Montoya-Barbaro about her journey in learning and celebrating Indigenous cultures.

Rob: Vannessa, you shared a story with us at a recent staff meeting about how the conversations you have been having at home have led to bigger reflections within your family when it comes to Indigenous cultures.

Vannessa: Yes! For a while now, I’ve been having really simple conversations with my children and my husband around the kitchen bench while I’m cooking or while we’re having dinner, and I’ll just share little things with them that I’ve learnt through my work at Parenting Research Centre.

I didn’t realise the impact that I was having on my little people until a few months ago when my daughter brought home a book for each of us that she had picked out from the school library. For me, she had picked out an Aboriginal story. I asked her why this book, and she said, ‘Mummy, because you’re always trying to talk to us about Aboriginal people. So when I saw it, I thought of you.’

And my five-year-old son saw this and saw how happy and proud I was, and the next time he went to the school library, he did the same – he brought home another book of Aboriginal stories. So then, we had a celebration about that.

And now when we go to the libraries, both the kids pick Aboriginal stories and picture books. And it’s not one. It’s many, many Aboriginal stories.

Rob: What kicked off those conversations do you think? What got you to a point where you took home your first conversation or reflection?

Vannessa: I think my interest started back when I was working for what was then known as the Department of Juvenile Justice (now Department of Communities and Justice). I was really privileged to work with some wonderful Aboriginal families in Western Sydney. But I remember feeling so out of depth.

I was a psychologist, but I could tell that that my training wasn’t enough for me to work with these families in a meaningful and impactful way. And I could just see that no matter how much I tried and how much I read, I would get it wrong. I couldn’t work out why because I didn’t have the knowledge. I didn’t have the understanding. And I was really dissatisfied with the support that I was providing and felt like I was letting these families down.

Following this work, I moved on to working within a custodial setting. This experience really opened my eyes to systemic racism. I observed firsthand the disparity between the young female inmates and the Aboriginal girls who were sometimes as young as 10 years of age. Seeing this made me really mad as this  would never, ever, ever happen to a non-Aboriginal girl.

Fast forward a few years, and I join the Parenting Research Centre, where my work focused on restoration and out-of-home care settings. Learning from the organisations we support made me very aware that a lot of children being removed are Aboriginal and families are being torn apart. This was the pivotal point for me to join the Reconciliation Action Plan group, because I wanted to find the words, language and the understanding that would help me build my cultural awareness and sensitivity to better inform the work I do.

I recognise that I’m only a little way into my journey. But I think all together, it has led me to thinking differently – including how I think about my work and the values I want to instill in my children.

Rob: Knowledge is key, isn’t it? When I started in youth justice as a junior case worker in the early 90’s, I’d had very little exposure to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander  communities, but I was so lucky to have the chance to meet Dr Aunty Ruth Hegarty during my early working life and she was extremely generous in sharing stories and providing me with an early platform that helped shape me. I am forever grateful for her generosity and kindess.  f I wasn’t sure what I could or couldn’t say but over cups of tea in her lounge room she helped set me on a path of learning, including spending time on Country. Time and time again over my career I have been extremely fortunate to have space to sit and listen with amazing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders and these moments have shaped me.

Vannessa: What an opportunity! Maybe we can talk about that next!

Rob: Great idea! I see you find opportunities to learn, develop and seek new ways of being and make that a part of who you are, which then makes it a part of who we are as an agency and who your family is.

Vannessa: I guess I do! If I look at why I chose to study psychology, it’s because I always wanted to see how I could make a difference. Early on in my career, I wanted to make a difference but found I didn’t have the right skills and knowledge when it came to culturally safe and responsive practice. I knew that I needed to learn.

Some of the things I have done to further my learning includes attending the SNAICC 2023 conference and learning from the wonderful things ACCOs are doing in supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Listening to CEO, Catherine Liddle speaking is incredibly inspiring and helps me connect with a fire that burns in me to achieve stronger outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and their families. I listen to podcasts that acknowledge and celebrate the many achievements of First Nations people and watch films with my children that inspire them to think differently. I talk about the significance of culture in my home and with my friends and family.

With work, I talk with and learn from Indigenous consultants – Tina and Bell at Curijo have given us so much to think about.

Rob: You’ve got a great passion and dedication and you’re so good at leading that within our organisation. We’re inspired by the way your actions demonstrate what you’re doing – not just at work, but with your kids and in your home. Small moments matter. Moments with your kids. Moments with other staff and it’s not all just about work. Our role is one of ally – everyone has to take that message forward and make it a part of who they are.

Vannessa: I love that! Thanks, Rob! In reflecting on NAIDOC week, I’d like to say thanks to our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander friends and colleagues who have shared their wisdom and in turn allowed me to share this with my children. It feels like a wonderful gift to pass on to my children and future generations, the great honour we have to walk alongside the oldest continuing living culture on the planet – this is something to be extremely proud of.

Key resources mentioned in the story

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