In Wirilla Ep 2: Reserve we move from Dreaming and sky-knowledge to the ground-level realities of segregation, following the creation of reserves and camps while tracing the life of Matthew’s great grandfather Alexander Stanley.

This podcast has been informed by the historical work of Aunty Noelene Briggs, and particularly her books Winanga-li and Burrul Wallaay. To find out more about Aunty Noelene's books click here


This podcast was made with funding from Create NSW.

Detailed Music Credits
"Just Did" by All Stars, "Soundscape" by Mirko Sosai, "Omen" by Richard Johnson, "Guitarline" by Philip Okerstrom, "John as well" by Mirko Sosai, "Fred" by Fred, "Awkward Comedy" by Luca Francini, "Hurt Track 4" by Philip Okerstrom, Damian Mason and Symon Aytonn, "Tranquility Base" by Chill Factor, "Hurt Track 13" by Philip Okerstrom, Damian Mason and Symon Ayton, "Hurt Guitar Track 8" by Philip Okerstrom, Damian Mason and Symon Ayton, "Proud Return" by See More Music, Blusy G'Tar by Mirco Sosai, "Hurt Track 5 by Philip Okerstrom, Damian Mason and Symon Ayton.

A podcast from Matthew Priestley supported by Third Space Ventures and Coequal.

To contact Coequal and find out more, check out our Patreon page, click here

Content Description
This episode contains references to segregation, forced child removal, discriminatory laws, and the hardships faced by Aboriginal families living on reserves and in camps.

Wirilla – Episode 2: “Reserve” Duration: 23 minutes
Setting: Moves between star stories, family history, and the lived memories of the Terry Hie Hie reserve and Moree’s early camps.
Narrators/Voices:

• Matthew Priestley – Mehi Murri man (Terry Hie Hie clan, Gomeroi Nation)
• Dante – Gomeroi young person narrator and learner
• Khalani – Gomeroi young person narrator and learner
• Kim – Long-time friend of Matthew, researcher and collaborator
• Phil – Co-creator, occasional narrator

🪶 STRUCTURE AND CONTENT BREAKDOWN Opening: The Lyrebird — Sound and the Birth of Language

• Matthew opens by explaining that sound itself was created by the lyrebird, and that animals generated the first sounds — before wind had “sound.”
• He frames vibration as an original language, akin to mathematics — a structural, patterned intelligence that underpins how we communicate.

🌀 Themes introduced:
Sound as origin · Lyrebird as culture-keeper · Vibration as language · Science and story intertwined.

Opening Story: The Emu in the Sky

• introduces the Gomeroi sky story of the the Emu in the Sky, explaining how the dark spaces between stars form the celestial emu.
• The changing shape of the emu tracks the seasons — when it lies down, when it rises, and when the birds are nesting.
• teaches how the sky is a living calendar, a guide for movement, ceremony, and food gathering.

🌀 Themes introduced:
Celestial knowledge · Seasonal law · Country as teacher · Reading the sky.


Terry Hie Hie: Bora and the Calm Before Segregation

• The hosts discuss Terry Hie Hie as a major meeting and ceremonial site — one of the largest Bora grounds.
• They note the last recorded Bora at Terry Hie Hie in 1883, and how the cultural practices continued even as colonisation imposed new pressures.

🌿 Themes:
Ceremonial life · Continuity amid disruption · Record vs lived practice.
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