Extra/Ordinary involvement

In some ways I think I'm very ordinary and in other ways I think I'm quite extraordinary, and these two things directly relate to my involvement in the National Congress.


Ordinary:

• I'm a Mother 
• I cut school lunches and drop my sons off at school , and as much as possible I pick them up 
• I prioritise so that my family has a roof over our heads, food on our table, electricity connected and some of the other things that we feel is necessary to our lives [club sports for the boys, gym membership for me, and a home Internet connection]

Extraordinary:

• I'm a single Mother 
• I'm an Aboriginal woman who *owns* her own home [courtesy of a mainstream financial institution lending facility] 
• I have worked in government and higher education as well as worked as a book editor in the publishing industry 
• After many years of the big work-life juggle I decided to "clear my head" and enrol in a PhD, which I anticipated would also give me a bit more work-life flexibility 
• I'm in the last couple of months of my Doctorate and in many ways it helped fulfill both of those goals. It's an incredible journey of self-discovery and learning discovery, it is also an immense challenge, particularly while raising children

So, how does this relate to me getting involved in National Congress?
  

1. I care about what happens to us Mob, to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people 
2. I want a say in how government and society views us and responds to our unique status and to our needs; bearing in mind we have similar needs to everyone else and like everyone else I deal with these things on a daily basis; as an Aboriginal person I think we also have distinct issues relating to recognition of us as First Peoples and I think a lot of problems arise from this unreconciled situation
3. I'm a good listener and as I say in my statement "a strong communicator, writer and thinker", and I think I'm in an ideal position to offer good, strong and positive thinking to the National Congress National Board while being in touch with and having empathy for the challenges lots of Mob feel on the ground

So, over the next couple of days I will be sharing more so that you may understand a little more about where I'm coming from. Feel free to have a look around.

Thanks for visiting, Sandra