Uncle Graeme Cooper

Uncle Graeme was born in Leura in 1941 and is an elder of the Darug and Gundungurra nation.  Uncle Graeme was notified by the community, Blue Mountains City Council and Michael Field a Wiradjuri man to be called Uncle.

When joining the motor registry, he had to be Catholic, crippled, white and can stand on his feet for long periods of time, he worked on a probationary period of 6 months and was then made permanent, Uncle Graeme was at the motor registry for 44 years.

A young indigenous girl who was working at Lidcombe motor registry she was getting drunk on her lunch hour and generally mucking about, Uncle Graeme received a phone call from the manager at Lidcombe and asked Uncle Graeme to talk to her, which he did, and basically said to her "I'm Darug and Gundungurra man and not some white fella to tell you what to do", sat her down and talked to her for about half an hour, and from that time on this young girl turned her personal and working life around, she was saving money not getting drunk at lunch time and just settled right down and did her job diligently and properly, Uncle Graeme was the catalyst for all that.

Uncle Graeme now goes to schools, playgroups and day-care to help the teachers teach ethics and tell stories.  Some of the stories he tells are about growing up and culture.  One story he tells includes watching out for black cars because that used to signal that some of the local indigenous children were being picked up and taken away.

Uncle Graeme also does smoking ceremonies, and welcome speeches for the Blue Mountains City Council.

Uncle Graeme has never left the mountains, he feels that he is home, he knows his way around the bush, loves the mountains and does not want to leave.

Uncle Graeme has been on the receiving end of discrimination for most of his life due to his Surname and has been harassed regularly.

The legacy Uncle Graeme wants to leave is just to know that he was given and received good treatment and has taken the good with the bad.

For the young people of the mountains Uncle Graeme wants a better life than we have today and a better knowledge and understanding of indigenous ways.  "Think before you act"

"Thanks to you Robert for the opportunity, what I speak and what I do is from the heart, live life to the fullest, make sure you know what to do and how to do it, and seek help from your elders."

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                    Uncle Graeme Cooper