Generations

Generations is a dynamic and interactive celebration of contemporary Koorie identity featuring stories that have been handed from generation to generation, stories from yesterday and today, and stories for the future. Visitors can listen to people from across Victoria share stories of connection, family, culture and resilience, and explore a vibrant and poignant collection of historical and contemporary photographs.

Generations presents community voice linked to four themes: Connection, Resilience, Family and Culture. These voices are brought forth from the written record, from letters, petitions, government inquiries, oral history interviews and from interviews recorded for First Peoples.

Portraits

Lou Bennett

Wolithica, Yorta Yorta, Jaara, Dja Dja Wurrung

Resilience is getting back up again when you get knocked down... You can get knocked down just walking into an establishment and go to buy something and they don’t put the change back in your hand, they put it on the counter and walk away from you. For me, resilience is picking that change up and saying thank you.

Ky-ya Ward

Wurundjeri, Woi Wurrung

Being on country feels really deadly and it makes me feel really happy and it feels like my home and I feel really proud to be on it, and not in, like, another country.

Kevin Coombs

Wamba-Wamba, Wotjobaluk

I think it’s very important for everyone to know where they come from and who their Ancestors were, and know your family, because Aboriginals, everywhere we go: ‘Where you from? Who’s your mother? Who’s your father?’… Every Aboriginal would know that one of the first things you ask them was how they’re connected.

Dale Weegberg

Yorta Yorta, Mutti Mutti

I identify myself as an Aboriginal person and a lot of people don’t think I’m Aboriginal... They think I’m from India, sometimes I get Samoan, I get Lebanese... It depends what day it is and where that person’s from.