GROWING up in Swan Hill, Wamba Wamba woman Lowana Moore saw her elders fight for social-justice outcomes as well as land rights and recognition of the Wamba Wamba people.
“Back in the early 90s, I remember coming back to country because they were building the Murray Downs Resort on a burial site. Just the devastation on our elders’ faces at that time when they were removing our ancestral remains, and feeling helpless, that is the stuff that sits with me and drives me,” Ms Moore said.
Now, as the newly appointed reserved seat holder for Wamba Wemba Aboriginal Corporation on the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria, Ms Moore wants to ensure her peoples’ cultural heritage is protected.
The First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria voted to create a new reserved seat for the group in March.
The decision was described as a historic moment by assembly members because Wamba Wemba Aboriginal Corporation is the first traditional owner group without recognition under government legislation to have a reserved seat in the assembly.
As Ms Moore prepared to make her inaugural speech at her first chamber meeting, she expressed her gratitude for the chance to join the assembly.
“I just feel privileged to be embarking on this journey, and passing down the knowledge that I gained from my elders onto the next generation,” Ms Moore said.
“It’s a lot of responsibility, but I’m learning something new every day about our traditional owner rights and cultural heritage and responsibilities.”
Ms Moore, born in Swan Hill, spent much of her childhood on Wamba Wamba country with her extended family.
“My grandparents had 15 children that were reared all along the river, so you could imagine how many cousins that equated too.”
“Whilst we would swim my aunties and uncles would fish and what was caught was taken back to camp and we would cook over the fire.”
Ms Moore said listening to her elders yarn around the fire or in family homes had shaped her thoughts and influenced who she is today and what she wants to do as a member of the assembly.
“I’ve always been connected to my country. It is where my heart is and where my family still lives, maintaining our continued connection to land and water,” Ms Moore said.
“I do have an ongoing urge to return home one day but for now, my continued connection is through my family and the work that I’m currently doing at the Wamba Wemba Aboriginal Corporation.
“I have always been inspired by my elders and the stories of survival passed down through the generations. Our people have always been proud of our heritage.”
Although we are a small population of the Swan Hill community, our elders have fought for true recognition and to be embedded into the fabric of the Swan Hill community.”
Growing up, Ms Moore saw her elders fight for social-justice outcomes as well as land rights and recognitions of the Wamba Wamba people.
“I’ve grown up watching my family fight. In particular my Aunty Hazel Atkinson, who lives on country,” Ms Moore said. “Last year she was inducted into the Victorian Aboriginal Honour Roll for her decades of campaigning for social-justice outcomes and land rights.
Ms Moore said she wanted to make sure her people’s cultural heritage was protected and hoped to address cross-border issues on the assembly as Wamba Wamba country occupies areas in Victoria and New South Wales.
In addition to protecting cultural heritage, Ms Moore hoped to empower young people with education.
“We want to inspire our young people to dream big,” she said.
“We want them to be on council, run businesses, we want them to be teachers, tradies and board members of mainstream bodies in our community.”
Ms Moore, a member of the Victorian Aboriginal Education Association for the past 30 years, has helped develop programs about Aboriginal studies for Victorian schools.
She said her passion for education came from her experiences dealing with racism at school.
“I’ve been there to put in strategies that will improve the outcomes of our young people, so they don’t have to face what I had to face,” she said.
“Racism is still there today, but we are working on things to eliminate that and I hope to do the same with the assembly.”
“I want to make sure that we are investing in our next generation.”
Wamba Wemba Aboriginal Corporation recently ran a program for young Wamba Wamba people to connect to their country.
“It was about how to care for country, how to read and using all your senses. It was amazing to see them come along every day,” Ms Moore said.
“They not only participated, but were really engaged and walked alongside the elders and asked questions.”
Ms Moore said she hoped to continue to develop programs that would engage young people and build on economic ventures to improve health and education outcomes through Treaty without relying on government funding.
“In the past, we have created small ventures such as small community development pilots that relied on government funding, but unfortunately things like that don’t last forever,” she said.
“I want to address the disadvantage of young people who are living in Swan Hill and I want to help my elders create the change that is needed.
“We want to be able to assert our native title rights and be recognised as traditional owners of the land.
“Through those things, we will be able to develop economic ventures that will lay the foundation for our people to support our future generation and break that cycle.”
