National Indigenous Times spoke with Dharawal Elder, Aboriginal Healer and Spiritualist, Aunty Gwenda Jarrett, ahead of her appearance on 'Great Australian Walks with Julia Zemiro', a ten part series that aims to take viewers on a journey of Australia by foot, uncovering the truth behind some of our well known tourist attractions.

This week viewers will have an opportunity to hear Aunty Gwenda, a proud grass roots advocate, share her story of growing up on country and recount the harrowing history of the Minnamurra Massacre, which occurred tragically on the Minnamurra River, New South Wales on 1st October 1810.

Aunty Gwenda said in order to piece together the history of the massacre, she worked alongside legal experts and historians, researching and gathering evidence that included historical notes and court transcripts.

She said that the attack was led by a local property owner, Lt. William Frederick Weston and his site overseer Cornelius O'Brien, both men were accompanied by a group of convicts and labourers.

Early one morning, the group of men launched an attack, firing heavy large calibre firearms on the unsuspecting members of an Aboriginal campsite that sat peacefully alongside the pristine Minnamurra River.

The attack led to the death of many victims and a deep sadness that has been passed down through generations.

Aunty Gwenda's roots and connection to country are strong. Her maternal bloodlines run all the way through Dharawal Country inclusive of Gerringong and Werri Beach.

Born in Kiama (Birralee Hospital), Aunty Gwenda has lived in Gerringong all of her life.

"My second great grandmother was one of the Traditional Owners that were still camping at Werri Beach when they were forcibly removed because they wanted to put in the rock wading pools of Gerringong," she said.

"My grandmother was conceived and my great grandmother was heavily pregnant when they left Werri Beach, then my Great Grandmother was born on French's beach Emma Jane Cook -Callaghan and then my lineage just goes further from there."

Driven to support her community and help others with connection to culture, Aunty Gwenda has been a founding member of several organisations and was instrumental in the establishment of the Gerringong Aboriginal Housing Corporation, of which she is now the Chief Executive Officer.

The organisation that has been running strong for thirty five years.

"I currently sit on the South Coast Native Title Claimant Group with twelve other delegates that represent fifty-nine apical ancestor groups for the South Coast Native Title claim, covering land from the south of Botany to Bundeena and down to the Victorian border, which is why I am so passionate about my heritage and being involved with many grass root community led projects," she said.

"I only live in a small community, but my voice is very strong and I'm very passionate about helping grassroots."

As a spiritualist and Aboriginal healer, Aunty Gwenda volunteers her time to help families with spiritual needs at funerals and runs women's workshops.

As a community advocate, she is fighting for Indigenous divers to have fishing, gathering and hunting rights throughout the South Coast region.

A force to be reckoned with, her involvement with community advocacy started from an early age, as Aunty Gwenda was taken under the wing of her father, who was a senior delegate with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission and a community leader for many years.

After an extensive career in the health sector, Aunty Gwenda resigned in 2007 due to feelings of being unheard and being burned out.

During this time there was immense sadness and frustration within First Nations communities as the Northern Territory Intervention was taking place.

"I worked in mental health and my role was to advise the psychiatrists and doctors about medical problems and advocate for clients for the betterment of improving our mobs lives in a holistic approach with mental health related issues," she said.

"A 24-hour health worker and I worked with the street workers, homeless, AOD, Youth, crime and medical intervention to help Indigenous clients as an outreach worker at Port Kembla with Darcy House."

She recounts a tragic story of her attempts to help a young Aboriginal mother who was a sex worker keep her newborn child, regardless of her efforts the outcome was futile.

"I was told that I had to go and tell this Aboriginal mum and nan that they couldn't even look at the baby" she said.

It was a direction given by non-Indigenous medical staff.

"For me, it was just too much. I just walked out that day after working in health for over 20yrs, with not even a handshake or thank you, because you know, you're going to burn out and nobody listens."

Aunty Gwenda openly speaks about the recent issues facing her community and raised concern over by-laws, funding and identity fraud.

She has a growing concern over 'tick the box' workers who are not from Dharawal Country, taking local roles and not respecting cultural or spiritual connection to land.

This was problematic when a mining company recently undertook work at the site of the massacre, ignoring the advice of Aunty Gwenda and Traditional Owners.

"All those sites workers that are in there doing that work, didn't respect, get permission or consult our local Traditional Owners living on country, and most Aboriginal Sites workers had no connection to this country, which is a breach of Aboriginal Lore Protocol," she said.

"They'll tick the box because it's work. We need the real people, see none of our mob will go in there because we know the spiritual connection to that place, and we're not going to go anywhere on that country."

On fighting for land rights and culture, Aunty Gwenda added "It's not about me, it's for my mob, and it's for our family and Gerringong and now the local Aboriginals that are the TOs and the South Coast People."

"All I want on my bucket list is for the Kiama Council to adapt our By-Laws, implement a treaty and to exploit these people claiming their Aboriginal, when they grow up they're not Aboriginal, then they take the cream of the crop of the jobs.

"It's actually identity fraud. They're not Aboriginal but they're making all these decisions for us people on the ground."

Regarding funding she said "It's little communities like ours that are missing out. We don't see the money," before highlighting that Gerringong is right in the middle of larger regions.

Responding to Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price's recent call for an enquiry into the funding of Aboriginal organisations, Aunty Gwenda said "Come and bring it on."

"I work for little wage, she can come to my office. I'd like to have a debate with her because I haven't got funding for 20 years. We prove as a small corporation you can survive without government funding and be self-sufficient and independent," she said.

"Bring her to the table and I'll show her Gerringong and I'll say 'so where's my forensic audit', she can't be speaking on our country, she can't speak for our people.

"We saltwater mob, she's from Uluru."

On Senator Price's views on Welcome to Country, Aunty Gwenda said "If you don't want to welcome people to your country, that's your lore. In our country, it's respect and permission. They got to do Welcome to Country in my area."

Aunty Gwenda will feature on Great Australian Walks with Julia Zemiro on Thursday at 7.30pm on SBS and SBS On Demand.