Elder-Leader Walking Together
Updated: Oct 15, 2021
More than 200 senior leaders in government, business and the NGO/NFP/community sectors have met with Noongar Elders and leaders, including the Danjoo Koorliny Co-Directors and team.
The by-invitation event was hosted by Danjoo Koorliny as an opportunity for Western Australian senior leaders to look at the journey so far, and to see the path ahead towards 2029 (200 years of colonisation in Western Australia) and beyond.
The evening was MC’d by Carol Innes and Oral McGuire, with welcomes and contributions from Dr Noel Nannup, Dr Richard Walley and Prof Emer Colleen Hayward, and a welcome from the university by Deputy Vice Chancellor Professor Simon Biggs.
Several ministers, numerous directors-general of government departments, board chairs, chief executive officers, and other senior leaders across all sectors attended the gathering. The Danjoo Koorliny Ambassadors the Governor of Western Australia the Hon.
Kim Beazley, Professor Fiona Stanley, Professor Stephen Hopper, and Janet Holmes à Court were also in attendance.
Insights from the recent Danjoo Koorliny Social Impact Summit were shared, including a synthesis of material created by summit participants, together with summit scribing and a poetics resonance.
Colleen spoke about the possibilities for walking together towards 2029 and beyond, and asked the room to reflect on what excited them about Danjoo Koorliny, as well as to consider the next ‘monumental shift’ that needed to happen (as individuals, communities, organisations and society).
After discussing these questions in pairs, various people then shared their reflections with the room as a whole.
Towards the end of the evening Carol asked, “What we want to know from all of you, from all of us: Who else is on this journey with us?” At this point the whole room stood.
Noel then spoke the closing words: “Thanks everyone - that was a tremendous show of support and solidarity.
“So if we follow the program that was set out in 2019 in relation to how we would...follow the ancient six-season cycle...we started with ‘fertility’, and then of course ‘incubation’, and then last week, on the 6th and 7th, we actually gave birth to Danjoo Koorliny.
“And now the work begins, because as it grows, and each and everyone nurtures this little thing, it will gain enormous strength, because it’s spiritually led and spiritually driven. And when that’s the case, the last thing that you and I need to do is stand in the way, because it will just take off.
“And as it moves forward, there’s a tremendous amount of work that we have to do, and we’re up for it, given the support we just saw in the room from all of you.”
We look forward to continue working and walking together with everyone towards 2029 and beyond.
Elder-Leader Briefing scribing added to summit scribing by Shenali Perera (above), and Elder-Leader Briefing artwork by Jade Dolman (below). Please don't share outside of this context.
