Acknowledgment of Country

Words by Dennis Golding | Photography by Derrick Henderson | Styling by Mikey Ayoubi

My name is Dennis Golding and I’m an artist born and raised on Gadigal Land. My family come from the Kamilaroi/Gamilaraay people of northwest New South Wales, and the Biripi people of the mid-north coast of NSW. 

My family and I lived surrounded by earthy coloured bricks, cast-iron lace fences, orange streetlights, skyscrapers and the rumble of screeching trains and soaring planes. Although the city dawned on us, we always felt safe surrounded by our community in Redfern. 

The community we lived in was a support system, and a safety net embedded in Country. If we were short on something, Nan would send us next door, when it was cold there would be a community bonfire at the top of the block, and when the streetlights came on, it was time for the kids to get home.

Redfern was where I learnt ways of living and surviving, and how we use Country to communicate and move. As I reflect on my childhood, I recognise how Country influences my identity. 

This acknowledgment is a reminder of the power that Country has to shape our lives. I also want to acknowledge and pay my respects to Elders, past and present, and recognise the ways they care and teach us of our own strength.

Wherever you are reading this edition, I hope you take the time to reflect on the power of the Country you’re surrounded by.

Love from Dennis Golding, a Kamilaroi/Gamilaraay artist, curator and collaborator based in Sydney.