Country, culture and community a focus for newest NACC member

My name is Bianca McNeair and I am a Malgana woman from Gatharagudu (Shark Bay). I love my country and am very proud of the Culture that ties me to it.

I went to primary and high school in Geraldton and have cultural and community connections across our beautiful Yamaji Country.

As a youngster I studied Aboriginal Art which led me into Visual Art studies and Aboriginal Community work.

I love expressing my connection to culture through Art and as a mother of three I am also passionate about documenting and teaching traditional practises for our future generation to carry on.

Learning my Malgana language, telling stories and sharing different aspects of my Aboriginal heritage is very important to me as it acknowledges our people who have passed, our people who teach us, our people who learn from us and our people still to come.

Shark Bay, where I grew up, means many things to me: it is my old people, my children’s future, the pillow I rest my head on and also the foundations that make me stand tall.

Fishing, looking for shells, visiting our special creatures like the Wuthuga (Dugong) and Buyungurra (Turtle), visiting our old peoples’ places and spending time with family keeps me connected to my country.

I go to my country to heal, to understand, to teach and to learn. There are many special places in this world but Shark Bay is more than just a place to me, it is my home.

As NACC Aboriginal Liaison Officer I look forward to spending time in Yamaji Country and learning more about Yamaji Country, working with the women and families in our communities and visually express and document the diversity of our connection to country.