Wadawurrung Country – 17th June 2024
The day began at 9.30 am on the coast at Torquay. Zoe led us to the coast as she informed and guided us in the search for seaweed. From 12-3ppm, we gathered at Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative, 62 Morgan Street, North Geelong, where a fire was ready to warm us up. Here, Aunty Judy and Zoe took us through seaweed culture activities, yarning and making seaweed damper. Together we enjoyed a delicious lunch including seaweed damper, soup and other delights. This On Country day gave insights into the unique approach this project has for conserving and promoting the cultural knowledge of seaweeds within Aboriginal communities. As Zoe and Aunty Judy shared their embodied, practical and social research practices, we learned more about decolonising research practices. We were invited to apply this understanding of decolonising knowledges and practices to our own research questions.
Aunty Judy Dalton-Walsh
Aunty Judy is a proud Gunditjmara and Wadawurrung elder who has been working on the seaweed culture revitalisation project since 2017. She has a deep cultural connection and understanding of seaweeds that she shares with both her community and in the broader academic space.
Zoë Brittain
Zoë is a settler of Scottish heritage, currently in her final year of her PhD studies. Her research focuses on equity and sustainability in the developing Australian seaweed industry, with a particular focus on Indigenous
rights and empowerment of Aboriginal communities in southwest Victoria. She has dual bachelor’s degrees in environmental science and Anthropology and currently sits within the School of Life and Environmental Sciences within the Deakin Seaweed team.