The rain had only just eased enough for us to gather for our first Green Drinks of the year. There was something fitting about that - the air still heavy, the ground freshly washed - as new and familiar faces came together in community.

We were honoured to welcome Max Lenoy as our speaker for the evening. Max has recently joined NQCC as a Management Committee member and brings deep experience as a curriculum specialist in Indigenous education.

Max began with a heartfelt and honest Acknowledgement of Country, speaking about his own connection to land and family. He then shared a deeply powerful and personal story about his grandmother - abducted as a child, subjected to harsh treatment under missionaries, punished for practising her culture, and later sold to be married under the “breed out the black" program.

We sincerely thank Max for the courage it took to share such painful family history and intergenerational trauma with us. These stories are not from some distant past. They sit within living memory. And they need to be told.

As Max reflected, he does not like the term “lost knowledge” or “lost culture.” It wasn’t lost - it was violently taken.

He reminded us that this is still a time of truth-telling. There is still so much that many Australians are learning — and unlearning. The evening sparked thoughtful and sometimes challenging discussion among participants.

One of the key questions that emerged was: What can we do to foster these conversations?

Reflections shared in the room included:

• Ask questions.
• Have conversations with family and friends - even when they are difficult.
• Foster empathy.
• Consider: How would you feel if your identity, culture and home were taken from you?

But reflection is only one step. There are also ways to stay engaged locally and continue learning:

• Take part in local First Nations events for example around NAIDOC Week and other community-led commemorations.
• Visit and support local cultural spaces such as Big Eye Theatre.
• Join NQCC for a unique opportunity in late March to do a Garabarra Walk with Uncle Russell (keep an eye on the events calendar)

This evening reminded us that caring for Country is inseparable from truth-telling and justice.

Thank you to everyone who joined us, and especially to Max for grounding our year in honesty, courage and reflection.