A recent weekend at Camp Coorong, on South Australia’s south-east coast, opened my eyes to the beautiful simplicity of the ancient Narrindjeri world, a simplicity yearned for by many, particularly those who struggle to fit in to the fast paced and competitive western world. It also revealed to me in starker detail than ever before the devastation brought upon the Ngarrindjeri peoples and their land by European settlement. Through a guided tour of Bonney reserve, a delightful little patch of coastal mallee scrub, and over a round-the-fire dicussion, Tom and Ellen Trevorrow shared their stories, interweaving the wonder of the Narrindjeri dreaming with the tragedy of their more recent history and their understanding of the environmental disaster that has befallen the Coorong since agriculture and western development has invaded their traditional lands. The noble Ngarrindjeri have so much to teach us.

I felt awed, grieved, ashamed and enlivened. My creative juices flowed easily. Aunty Ellen showed me how to weave reed baskets. I returned the favour and painted her and Tom some watercolors:

Coorong from Bonney Reserve

Waves lapping on the Coorong shore

Pigface creeping across a bush track.

If you believe in the reconciliation process and want to engage positively with the those who were so cruelly treated by our forebears, I recommend a stay at Camp Coorong. The address of their website is http://campcoorong.net

Flag of the Ngarrindjeri nation.