Her AOC Has Deeply Influenced the Way I Do Mine

When I posted Why Should We Bother to Acknowledge Country ? I wasn’t really sure how well it would be received by LinkedIn readers. To my great surprise and delight, it has been read by well over a 1,200 people from many professions, and different sectors including, governments, not for profits and corporates.  

Thank you to everyone who took the time to read, reflect and engage with my article and give your feedback.

It was clear that an AOC has a strong emotional and social connection for many readers. It’s about how we feel when we hear the words, the sentiments and the sense of belonging for ALL of us as Australians.

I went back into my memory banks and recalled some AOCs that stood out in my mind and then reflected on what made them stand out.   

So to set the scene, I’ve lived, worked and played in the Blue Mountains, NSW Australia for well over 30 years with my life partner.  For the past 24 years, there has been a blues and roots music festival every March. The festival attracts musicians from all over Australia  and the world. We have attended around 70% together as our annual Christmas gifts to each other.  

The Blue Mountains festival is well regarded because the venue is small, intimate and is also a great time to catch up with friends from near and afar. It is also a great time to catch up with emerging, experienced and iconic performers from both overseas and of our own homegrown musicians. About a decade ago, it was a Sunday night, the very last performance for the weekend. We were all seated in the Pavilion Tent (read car park of the local RSL), and the last act of the night was about to unfold. 

Paul Kelly , no not the footballer, not the journalist, but the well-known Aussie singer / songwriter was about to take us home with lyrics and tunes that would burn their way into our souls and memories forever. Before he started his set, Paul Kelly introduced us to the two other people on stage. They were First Nation performers Archie Roach and his lifelong partner. They had been together since they were teenagers.  At that time, we were all unaware this would be the last time we would see her perform in the Blue Mountains, nor at any other venue.  

She sat on the stage, comfortably on her chair, with her guitar on her lap. It was as if she had been sitting there her whole life. She greeted us as if we were long lost, friends. She then talked about being here in the Blue Mountains with all of us. 

She reminisced about her early morning visit to a well known Blue Mountains tourist spot.    She took us all down the road to Echo Point that housed the Three Sisters in the National Park.  When she described what she saw. We saw it. When she described the birdsong, we heard it. When she described the blue gum haze, the mountains are well known for, we knew she had been there. 

She described our local country through her own senses that many blue mountain residents and visitors were familiar with. She had described its breadth, its depth, its beauty and its character. She talked of the landscape, the colours the sky, the . She claimed it as a memorable place for her to visit.  And it was a special place for her to be present to be with us all at the same time. At that moment in time, we were all there with her, and she was with us.  And yet we were in the car park, and the Three Sisters were there with us. 

She had transported us from the Pavilion tent at the RSL car park to Echo Point and back again.

She did an AOC in her own words, in her own way. Not one syllable or word was spoken about “I’d like to acknowledge country”.  I didn’t realise she was giving an AOC until it was over as I was so caught up in our moment. Yet I can vividly remember my feelings, the crowd and my sense of connection with everyone seated and standing on that asphalt car park . We all belonged to that place, at that time. She was recognising all of us as part of time and space. That was special.

For me, that’s how an AOC oughta be. What a wonderful role model Paul's friend was. She did her homework on the country she visited and transported us with her into a place of connection, being and acceptance. I have no doubts this wasn’t the first time she did something similar with other events she performed at.

Her AOC has deeply influenced the way I do mine, and in that way, her legacy will live on in every event or group I work with when I do my own AOC.

In the next article, I’ll be sharing with you two different AOCs I’ve been working on and practising to make them my own when I am at speaking and training gigs.

I’d love to hear about AOCs you have heard that have been with GRAS.  What have you learned and how you do deliver an AOC in your own voice and words.

If we want to hear AOC with GRAS, then it starts with us to show and do, rather than wait and see.