Acknowledgement of Country
Our Commitment to Truth-Telling
Country is not a backdrop.It is alive. It holds memory.
StoryMotive acknowledges the Wangal people of the Eora Nation as the Traditional Custodians of the Country on which we live, work, gather and tell stories. We pay our deepest respects to Elders past and present, and to emerging leaders who continue cultural knowledge, care and resistance. We honour all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples whose connection to this land reaches back more than 65,000 years. We acknowledge that this is unceded land.
We acknowledge the living Country itself. The estuarine wetlands and waterways that flow into the harbour. The freshwater wetlands that sustain life across seasons. The remnant pockets of the critically endangered Sydney Turpentine Ironbark Forest that still stand despite clearing and urban expansion. We acknowledge the Green and Golden Bell Frog, the microbats moving quietly at dusk, the Powerful Owl watching from above, and the countless birds, animals and plant beings that have always known this sky, this soil and this light.
Wangal Country today is home to estuaries, parklands, sporting grounds, riverbanks, classrooms, creative studios and gathering places. It holds industry and infrastructure, ferries and footpaths, apartments and markets. It holds communities from across the world who now call this place home. We acknowledge the many cultures, languages and faiths that make up this beautiful and complex community today, and the responsibility that comes with living on Aboriginal land.
For urban communities, caring for Country is not optional. It is essential. It means recognising that concrete does not erase culture. It means protecting remnant ecosystems, restoring wetlands, listening to First Nations knowledge systems and understanding that sustainability is inseparable from justice. It means building kinship with place, not just occupying it. True belonging comes from relationship.
True belonging comes fromrelationship.
We speak the truth of what happenedon this land.
We acknowledge the stories held here. Stories of ceremony, kinship, governance and deep ecological knowledge. Stories that survived invasion, dispossession and attempted erasure.
The Frontier Wars. The massacres. The forced removals. The policies that created the Stolen Generations. We honour the resilience and strength of those who endured, those who survived, and those who continue to carry intergenerational memory with courage and dignity.
At Murama Healing Space, including the Stolen Generations Memorial Garden, we are reminded that healing requires truth. The land there holds grief, remembrance and renewal. It teaches us that acknowledging the past is not about dwelling in harm, but about creating the conditions for restoration, justice and collective wellbeing.
We acknowledge that the gap has not closed. We recognise that structural inequity continues to shape outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Truth-telling is not symbolic. It is ongoing work.
At StoryMotive, we believe story is medicine. It is how we honour memory, strengthen identity and imagine better futures. We commit to telling stories that respect sovereignty, deepen understanding and contribute to healing across cultures.
We are grateful to live and create on this Country, and we accept the responsibility that comes with that privilege.