Lessons in Justice: A Family Journey Through Australia's Heart

My parents are the most generous people I have ever met and have been fantastic role models for my sister, brother and me, both in regards to their own relationship of loving and supporting each other and also how they go about their lives. Mum and Dad invested a lot of time and energy in the three of us. They inspired us. From them we have learnt values including integrity, honesty, productivity, fun, empathy and innovation. From a young age, our mother in particular instilled a strong sense of justice in my brother, my sister and me.

An early formative experience for me was a family caravan trip when I was in Year 9, at 15 years of age. For about six weeks we meandered through the middle of Australia. Over the course of 42 days, we stayed in 39 different campsites.

We were exposed to Indigenous communities in a way we never had been previously. On some nights when we were tucked up in bed, we could hear fighting in the community close by. I remember hearing screams and swearing and bottles smashing. That made me ponder deeply: What’s happening with these people? Why are they behaving like that?