17 November, 2014

Hi my name is Eden Coughlan and I’m a Board member on the Cobar Local Aboriginal Land Council, so that’s on Nyampa Land but I’m actually from the Kamilleroi tribe.

Land Rights has always been a part of my life. I’ve always been taught that it’s a very important part of Aboriginal culture and what we need to focus on in the future.

Growing up being down at the Land Council since I was 2 years old, I would be running around doing the photocopying, help organise NAIDOC days when I was 5 years old. Little things like that really are a lasting memory from my childhood. Our LALC in Cobar actually has 3 young women in their 20’s on our Board, so it’s been really positive to see the Elders embrace and really teaching us things so we carry on what they’ve been doing.  I think the youth bring to LALCs a bigger sense of community. Elders have been sectioned off from the community in the past and the youth have grown up under a different set of circumstances to them and now we can really open it up to a broader range of people in our community.

I encourage everyone, especially our youth to become a part of Local Lands Councils to have their say and to look after their country.  This is our land our elders have handed down to us and its here for us.