The lure of the Northern Territory

A few days ago my husband and I took our grandchildren to Chesterfield Farm so they could experience a sense of farm life and get to interact with some animals. We watched cows being milked, learnt that pigs are as intelligent as four year children(!), and were able to feed and pat some of the animals. It was heartwarming to watch my one and a half year old grandson pat the rabbits with such tenderness and love.

One of the highlights was taking a tractor ride around the property. We saw many different animals, including turkeys, peacocks, ducks, geese, camels, sheep, goats, cockatoos, baby mice, rabbits, chickens, llamas and deer.

I was surprised to see camels on a farm in the outskirts of Melbourne. It took my thoughts back to when my husband and I visited the

Northern Territory in 2009. We went on a camel ride early one morning in time to watch the sun rise, with Ayers Rock in the background on one side and the Olgas on the other.

There’s something about the Northern Territory and the Indigenous people who live there that speaks to my soul. I can’t put it into words, but thinking of the Red Centre and the desert always brings me a sense of peace and harmony.

I dreamt about Central Australia two nights in a row last week. It felt as though the desert was calling me to come back and visit. Then I opened my Facebook page and up popped a photo I’d taken in Alice Springs four years ago. That photo also sits inside a beautiful silver frame on my desk.

A coincidence, you say? I don’t believe in coincidences. Maybe these dreams and the appearance of the photo on Facebook are a sign that it’s time for me to go back and connect with the Territory again this year.

Perhaps it’s also a reminder to share more about my passionate interest in Aboriginal health and culture.

Last year I wrote a chapter for a book called ‘Reconciliation and Aboriginal Health’. The chapter tells stories that explain how I became interested in Aboriginal Health. You can find out more about it here.

The book is one of several published by Magpie Goose Publishing, an Australian Aboriginally owned and run publishing venture founded by my friend Dr Christine Fejo-King. More about their books can be found here.

If you don’t want to purchase the books, why not ask your local library to do so?

During the month of April, all subscribers to my blog post will receive a free copy of the chapter I wrote for the book ‘Reconciliation and Aboriginal Health’, so why not sign up today and share this post?