In this episode of Listening to Canberra voices, we talk to Casey O’Neil, a First Nations student here at the University of Canberra. She shares her experiences as a Larrakia woman growing up in Ngunnawal country as well as her own. Casey describes some of her favourite sacred sites, what makes them sacred and their importance to First Nation Peoples. She talks about the impact they have on Indigenous identities and their connection to the sacred sites within both traditional and non-traditional landscapes. Some of these sites, particularly Uluru, are under threat from tourism and gas projects. Casey explains some of these issues and why the protection of sacred sites is an important part of First Nation Peoples initiatives and ways of life in order to preserve their culture.
Biography of Interviewee: Casey O’Neil
Casey O’Neil is a Larrakia woman born in September of 1997. She was born here in Canberra on Ngunnawal country as the second eldest of six kids. When she was 8 years old, her mother passed away so her immediate family moved to Darwin, her traditional country and where her father was born and raised. There she lived for almost 15 years, becoming closer to her larger, extended family and deepening her connection to country. She originally had aspirations of going to a Performing Arts school after graduating high school in 2014. But in 2021 after working full time for many years, she moved back to Canberra, enrolling at University of Canberra to study a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing, with the new aspirations to one day become a professional writer, creating screenplays and publishing stories as her desired career.
Creators:
Casey O’neil (Producer), Grace Dudley (Presenter), Alex Thorpe (Recordist), and Angus Clark (Editor)
Audio attribution:
Chaël. Sparks. Soundcloud.com.
Kangaroovindaloo. Sounds of the Australian Bush. Freesound.org.
Noted451. Ocean Waves.wav. Freesound.org
