Natalie: Returning from overseas

Natalie: Returning from overseas

“The connections that my husband and I have are connections we’ve discovered together.” We used to live in England and when we were looking about for places to live in Australia again, my husband said he didn’t want to live where I had lived in Australia...
Kate: Am I less Australian than others?

Kate: Am I less Australian than others?

“My mum used to tell me that she got bullied because she was British. My parent’s were both bullied because they had British accents and I never understood that because everyone was British in my eyes. I just didn’t realize that Australia had a longer history...
Your Stories: Adam Wood & David Gaylard

Your Stories: Adam Wood & David Gaylard

Friends Adam and David discuss how drinking goat’s blood in Tanzania, racism, and Aboriginal culture triggered a sense belonging Adam: Connection and belonging are absolutely essential. Many of the people who experience some kind of marginalization in society and even...
Your Stories: Rachel

Your Stories: Rachel

“Belonging is just a state of being comfortable so it’s not necessarily a physical place.” I find the concept of belonging really interesting. I recently moved here from New Zealand and I often get people asking me where I’m from and I find it really hard...
Your stories: Eva Ruggiero

Your stories: Eva Ruggiero

“fear is the biggest barrier to belonging” I think the concept of belonging and the word itself go two ways: there is always something you do feel you belong to and there are things that you don’t feel you belong to. I moved here when I was studying. I...
Your stories: Aroha Liebhart & Patrick Gallagher

Your stories: Aroha Liebhart & Patrick Gallagher

Aloha: My family are both foreign. We moved over here when I was about six. I’ve never really – my mum’s Maori and my dad’s Austrian –  but they’ve never really taught me much of history or of family. So I’ve never really had a connection to that. I find...
Your Stories: Fred

Your Stories: Fred

I was born in Amsterdam and I always considered myself a citizen of the world. In the 1950s there was a guy who demonstrated in the United States. He wanted to get rid of all the borders, pull them down. I can’t remember his name. I’ll have to look him up. So I’ve...
Your Stories: Alfie

Your Stories: Alfie

My children are my life. They’re my belonging. I don’t get to see them. Except sometimes I’ll get a photo. I’ve got four kids. I’m going to try and go for access or supervised access and go from there. I’m pretty much being FLY now: First Love Yourself. I’m getting...
Your Stories: Steff

Your Stories: Steff

“I moved to Brisbane yesterday. I’m an artist in American Traditional. I’m considered a flash painter.” What’s a flash painter? “Where you paint several designs over each other on one piece of paper. I use water colours.” “I’m living with...
Your Stories: Kirra, Jake, Tayla, Jahla, and Laura

Your Stories: Kirra, Jake, Tayla, Jahla, and Laura

The five university students were standing and sitting around a very low sofa. I started chatting with them and found out they were all studying the dramatic arts, majoring in singing or dancing, and all but one of them lived together. I explained that, as part of the...