In the 1960s, when Aunty Margret Campbell was 12 years old, she was sent to a white school. She remembers her teacher telling the class that in 1770 a man by the name of Captain James Cook ‘discovered’ Australia, and in 1788 the First Fleet sailed into Port Jackson and established the first colonial settlement in Sydney Cove.
“But miss,” Aunty Margret replied innocently, “how can he have discovered Australia if it was never lost to begin with?” The teacher angrily kicked Margret out of the class. She was unsure what she had done wrong.
Silence falls on our group as we let the weight of Aunty Margret’s recollection land. This is one of many real and raw memories that Aunty Margret graciously offers during her 90-minute tour of The Rocks. Now in her seventies, Aunty Margret tells us she’s been doing them for over 30 years. But you wouldn’t guess it: her passion and enthusiasm while sharing her Dreamtime legacy making it seem like it’s her very first day on the job.
Because for Aunty Margret, this isn’t just a job; it’s her life’s work.
Aunty Margret grew up in Kempsey, near South West Rocks, in Dunghutti Country. She had eight siblings who played an intrinsic part in her education, teaching her about country, origin, history and culture.
After a year, and when she was 13, she left school and went to work in a factory. She recalls never having fit in at the school, an environment that was designed to exclude; a place where she remembers being washed with a bucket of cold water by the white students as they attempted to remove the “black dirt” from her skin.
Aunty Margret tells us all this as we walk around The Rocks during the tour. She also talks about the First Fleet and surrounding flora in front of Cadman’s Cottage; we learn about the importance of the colours of the Aboriginal flag as well as family heritage as we stand under Argyle Cut; and hear about the significance of white ochre while at Dawes Point under the Harbour Bridge. It’s engrossing, captivating and at times shocking stuff. The tour is filled with warmth and humour, and rich with lived experiences. Though be sure to wear comfy shoes – Aunty Margret walks fast!
The tour is filled with warmth and humour, and rich with lived experiences
Margret went on to become a teacher and a founding member of Aboriginal Educational Consultative Group, which advocated for an Aboriginal cultural curriculum. She spent years educating others about the Dreamtime landscape and the history of her people, and in 1993 she started her own business, known today as Dreamtime SouthernX. Today, Aunty Margret has an unparalleled reputation across Aboriginal communities and the global tourism market, winning many accolades, and is recognised as a Tourism Champion by Tourism Australia.
Many non-Aboriginal Australians may know little about the suffering that was inflicted upon peoples who had been living in this country for thousands of years before colonisation. Aunty Margret avoids inflicting guilt trips during the tour, though. In fact, she takes pains to make the group feel connected to her story, and to Country, while also considering the work that’s still to be done.
When asked what she wants to achieve, Aunty Margret is quick to answer: “Visibility. We need a space here in Sydney. We need to be recognised as the world’s oldest continuous, living culture. And we need to be part of the conversation.”
Before we finish, I ask Aunty Margret, ‘What’s next for you?’ thinking that after 70 years of sharing her and her peoples’ truth, she may want to wind down.
She smiles and says: “Oh, I’ll be doing this tour for at least another 20 years.”
What a legend.