I am Dixie Link-Gordon, a Gooreng Gooreng woman from the east coast of Queensland, near Gladstone. My family are the Links, Johnsons and Ah-Sams.
I grew up in Brisbane with my grandparents Peter and Loui Link (paternal) and Mercy Johnson and Thomas Kamore (maternal). However, my grandmother remarried Jack Steel. I am their oldest grand-daughter, and my grandparents were very special in my life, kind and supportive.
I had a tough life as a young girl. I was sent to Melbourne to attend the Harold Blair holiday program which operated from 1963 to 1978. The program was really about assimilating Aboriginal girls into white society.
I moved to Townsville where I had my first child, William, in 1979. I left Brisbane at the age of 18 and it was the beginning of a new era for me. I did not have a great education and so it’s important that my children have these opportunities. I was able to attend some great classes at Murawina Aboriginal pre-school in Redfern for the mothers of the children who attended the centre. It made me very much aware of the importance of education for me and my children.
My children are able to do far better than I did in education and in life.
When I came to Sydney by the end of 1980, I lived in Eveleigh Street, Redfern, known as The Block, such a beautiful and supportive community for us. By the end of the 1980s I had five children and was keen to further my education, totally supported and encouraged by Aboriginal women in our community. Those women provided an accessible pathway to a good education and a great future ahead of us.
All this work led me to a career in the anti-domestic family violence movement across the country. I know that it is important to acknowledge the history of our past and how it has impacted our community today. All women are entitled to a safe and healthy life – physically, mentally and spiritually.
I will continue to work and share knowledge in this space. I have been privileged to share this story with international communities since 2012, including speaking at the United Nations Commission Status of Women Forum in New York. This is important for all women because we can all be impacted by the heinous acts of domestic, family and sexual violence in Australian society.
We all deserve to have a voice and live in a safe and healthy community.
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This article is part of a series by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples living and working on Gadigal land. The series, a joint project of the SSH and the City of Sydney, is curated by Aunty Norma Ingram.
