If you have a hungry brain, like I do – then all food for thought is welcome. From exciting new ideas about sustainability, to uncomfortable provocations embedded in decolonisation, to seeing a photo of an animal or plant I’ve never seen before or being doused in notions that challenge everything I ever thought I knew – every spark from a new idea excites my neurons and forges new connections in my brain, which I savour like an hour spent basking in the winter sun, or a meal topped off with a pinot noir and a big fat brie.
I’ve been thinking about and working in the world of sustainability, environmental law, regenerative and Earth-centred-everything for many decades now (almost 4 decades – how crazy is that!) and I can joyfully say that one of the greatest learning experiences of my life has been working with, and becoming dear friends with, Mary Graham. She has given me more ‘food for thought’ than any other single human being and I’ll always be grateful for her friendship.
Dr Mary Graham is an Adjunct Associate Professor in Political Science at the University of Queensland, and a Kombu-merri and Wakka Wakka person. She grew up in South-East Queensland, and is a Kombu-merri person through her father’s heritage and a Wakka Wakka clan through her mother’s heritage. With a career spanning more than 30 years, Mary has worked across several government agencies, community organisations and universities. She has been a dedicated lecturer with the University of Queensland, teaching Aboriginal history, politics and comparative philosophy. And she has written and published many prominent works, including publications in the Aboriginal Encyclopaedia, training modules for Cross Cultural Awareness and a host of academic papers.
And she’s a generous, funny, caring human being. We’ve written several pieces together (for example “Caring for Country and Rights of Nature in Australia: A Conversation between Earth Jurisprudence and Aboriginal Law and Ethics” in this book), but most rewarding for me, have been the hours, days and evenings we’ve spent together discussing ideas and sketching out the book we’re writing together. Its working title is: ‘Future Law: What if Australian society was built on the Relationist Ethos”, and we’re aiming for a draft to be finished by the middle of this year (fingers crossed).
Learning from Mary has given me deeper insights into the underpinning philosophical, ethical and governance structures of the First Peoples of the continent of Australia – the remarkable governance system that Mary describes as a ‘sacrelised, collaborative, ecological stewardship system’. And it has helped me understand the true impacts of colonisation, the remarkable offerings of Aboriginal governance and culture, and the importance of amplifying Indigenous thinking and work in Australia, and around the world. And working with Mary has enabled me to see my own western culture much more clearly. Her writings and insights enable me – and other westerners like me – to reflect ‘back to’ my own culture, and the western systems of law, economics, politics and logic that I was born into; which I now examine more carefully. I’ve had more “aha” moments with Mary than any other single human being I’ve met, and I relish listening to her, laughing with her and discussing a wide range of topics with her – from how medicare is a representation of the Relationist Ethos, to why so many Chinese poverty alleviation programs have worked so well, to what ‘gecko-ness’ really means.
I can’t wait to share our book when it’s ready, and to host online and in person discussions about the many varied topics that we explore. The learning continues for me, and I’m grateful for every conversation I have with my friend, mentor and all-round remarkable scholar and thinker, Mary Graham.