The keeping of culture

Anaiwan Elder and Director of the Armidale Aboriginal Cultural Centre and Keeping Place (ACCKP) Rose Lovelock was only about eight when her world was turned upside-down. When she and her then five siblings and parents Bill and Vera were forcibly removed from their homelands and relocated to western Sydney.

“They told us they had a home for us in St Marys,” says Rose. “But it doesn’t matter how old you are, you know when you are off Country.”

After three months, the family walked back home to Armidale – almost 500 kilometres as the crow flies – careful to avoid major highways and the black vehicles that in those days signified the government.

“It took us six months because Dad decided to teach us everything we needed to know about our culture along the way. All the while we were learning, Mum was learning, too, because she had been taken from her family at the age of five as a member of the Stolen Generation. That walk back home was the foundation I sprung from.”

The experience shaped Rose – one of this year’s UNE Distinguished Alumni Award winners – in profound ways. It meant she grew up with a strong sense of her culture, her place in her family and where she belonged. “But my mother’s influence was also strong; her mantra was ‘get an education and you will get your freedom’.”

A scholarship to a private girls’ high school in Newcastle accelerated that process for Rose, who went on to complete an Associate Diploma in Aboriginal Studies and Bachelor of Arts (majoring in contemporary Australian history) at UNE.

“I come from a family of 10 children and nine of us are tertiary qualified. During that first degree at UNE, I finally felt like I was on level ground, and I took full advantage of it. My goal was to go as far as I possibly could.”

At UNE’s Oorala Aboriginal Centre, Rose became a cultural liaison officer, then a lecturer, course designer and co-creator of the highly successful TRACKS tertiary preparation program for Indigenous students. A busy research career ensued, then for five years Rose guided the UNE executive on cultural matters as a Vice-Chancellor’s Indigenous Fellow.

“I have had two main goals in my life; one was to help as many Aboriginal students and women to look at education as a means of gaining a level of standing in society. I also wanted to give them some idea that learning doesn’t stop.

“My UNE education gave me a lot of things. I immersed myself in a diverse group of people and came to understand that we all have our own place on this earth. It taught me to ‘have a go, Rose’ and I did. Education gave me the flexibility to spread my wings.”

Her diverse professional experience since has seen Rose contribute to improving not only the educational, but also the crisis support, employment and land management opportunities for Aboriginal people. Perhaps foreshadowing what was to come, Rose became a project officer for the Aboriginal Arts Council and has spoken on Aboriginal history and contemporary issues.

“I was very much focussed on trying to understand how we could all work together,” Rose says. “I am a very positive person; I see the best in all people.”

But “having some control over our lives” meant confronting previous painful government policies “that many of us have lived in and experienced, which took the power away from us as Aboriginal people”.

“I wanted to show our skill and experience, that there is a wealth of intelligence and understanding in our culture … that conservation is second nature to us,” Rose says.

Leading ACCKP today – and developing, promoting and preserving Aboriginal arts, culture and heritage – is, Rose says, her “dream job”. “It’s a place where I can put into practice a lot of what I have learnt over the years, from my family, community and academia, to enrich the cultural understanding of the 22,000 visitors who come here every year.”

That includes busloads of international tourists, regular University of the Third Age workshop participants and Ezidi newcomers to Armidale: “all are welcome here,” Rose says. The Finding Family research room is also popular among Aboriginal people impacted by the “far-reaching and ongoing” Stolen Generation, as well as others seeking to reconnect with their heritage.

In every role she has held, Rose says she has been dedicated to “finding different ways of making things better”. Advocating for her people, she has sought to build positive relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. However, it has not been without its challenges.

“I have faced racism during my lifetime, but I never let it get me down. My father always said ‘don’t give your past the power to limit your future. In the end, you only regret the changes you didn’t make’ and I would rather look for opportunities for people to talk and be listened to.

“I believe that when people see past the colour of our skin or the differences we may have, they see who we are and what we can do. There is so much that could change if we all looked at it like that. There’s still a long way to go.”

On the international stage, Rose has enjoyed attending international Indigenous peoples’ gatherings. “It has opened me up to an understanding of how the many Indigenous peoples around the world not only suffered, but survived and grew out of oppression. It has given me a sense of belonging beyond Australia, and helped grow my passion for my agenda and to be more forward-looking.”

Determined, yet quietly spoken and gracious, Rose epitomises the very best in leadership. “The fear of speaking out often overrules us, but good leaders are not afraid. For them, leadership is not a one-off – they are the observers, the engagers, who cultivate the children who will grow into the next generation.”