Description
This book acknowledges all Yaegl custodians and their strong, proud, connection to this land, the sea, the river, and our community. We pay our respects to all Yaegl Elders past, present, and emerging
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are advised that this publication contains the names, images and stories of people now passed and resting in the Dreaming. The use of their images and stories within this book has been done in consultation with and approved by their family.
In November 2019, just as Mudyala Aboriginal Corporation was formed, Uncle Lester Mercy from the Yaegl Elders Aboriginal Corporation had an idea of preserving the Elders stories of Ulgundahi Island and their life journeys. Uncle Lester approached myself to come together to save our history and record any remaining stories so future generations would learn factual information of our people.
In 2021, Mudyala Aboriginal Corporation were awarded funding through Department of Premier and Cabinet (Heritage NSW) to create a resource in the form of a book, called ‘Keeping our Stories – Stories of the Yaegl People’. Uncle Lester’s dream was to become a reality.
There are many, many more stories to be recorded and shared from many other Yaegl Elders, and with the support of our community we hope to share these in the near future. We hope our future generations can carry on the hard work and dedication to our culture, just as our Elders have done for us. Listen to our Elders, hear their stories and pass them on so all will remember where our mob began.
Aneika Kapeen,
Mudyala Aboriginal Corporation CEO/Director/Founder