On a humid 34-degree day in Naarm, Lidia Thorpe arrives at the STYLE UP photoshoot with smiles and handshakes for the entire team. Wearing a dress by Indigenous label Aarli and accessorised with handmade traditional pieces gifted to her by Elders, her connection and pride in her culture is instantly recognisable.
The proud Djab Wurrung Gunnai Gunditjmara woman notes the Wittner collaboration heels she is wearing, designed by her niece Alkina Edwards, and continues to express her pride in Mob showcasing culture within the fashion and creative industries.
Chatty from the moment she sat in the makeup chair, the now independent Senator shared stories of her family and Country making links to those in the creative team as they connected their ancestral lines.
Her interaction with people seems effortless as she finds a way to relate to everyone working with her. Even more so, as the team packs up and starts moving out of the hotel to move to the shoot location, it is a passing "Hello, how are you today?" to hotel room service staff from Thorpe where we see her greatest strength at work.
A young room service maid runs out the door to greet Thorpe and without a bat of the eyelid, Thorpe steps forward and begins a conversation as if old friends were reuniting.
She politely wraps up the encounter and steps into the elevator and immediately Thorpe puts her hand on her heart, clearly moved by the young woman's excitement to meet her.
"This is the best part of my job. I love interacting with people."
Thorpe was a natural on set, confident in who she is and what she was there to achieve. Her power and her pride visible as she works through each frame playfully.
She yarns to the team as she moves, sharing stories of her children, grandchildren, partner and her much be-loved dog.
As the day comes to a wrap, Thorpe invites the team for a drink to celebrate to the day.
It's on arrival that our team witnesses Thorpe in action again. Yarning to Mob on the street, she is on her home turf in the Melbourne suburb of Thornbury, people are passing by on their way home from work and school, she not only makes the time to yarn with everyone but introduces the team along the way.
Thorpe knew each community member by name and how she was connected to each of them, and if she didn't, she asked and worked through ancestral lines to find if there was one.
Thorpe has been described as radical but, in an afternoon, she showed her traditional side as she upheld the value of kinship and connection.
Living the words she has chanted through parliament house, Thorpe has always preached the importance of spending time with and listening to Mob from each community. She lives in her community as one of the people and, in her own words, feels it is time for Our People to have some real power and to be heard.
"My focus now is Sovereignty and Treaty. This is where Our People will be given real power. This is where we can have Mob from all walks of life heard."
"Our traditional systems never picked leaders to speak for other clans and nations. This is where we need to decolonise this country and bring it back to family clan decision making."
"This is about listening to and valuing Our People, and we can't leave anybody out. We need to start at the grassroots. We need to take the time to listen to every clan and nation."
Thorpe practices what she preaches. On a day that was about her, she made the time to make it about others. She listened, she heard their needs and she exhibited empathy and support with each interaction, showing that the controversial and radical perception of the senator is not the full picture.
