A simple but powerful act of kindness was the foundation for a community project to support new First Nations mothers.
Words Dellaram Vreeland
Photography Tajette O’Halloran
Galah is highlighting remarkable community work in rural and regional Australia in a series made possible by our partnership with Westfund, a not-for-profit health fund with a 140-year history in rural Australia.
EVIE Wood was 24 when she gave birth to her son Teddy. The life-changing moment was also a poignant one, serving as a turning point in the young mother’s life.
Wood’s great-grandmother was removed from Ngarabana Country, in South Australia’s Lake Eyre region, as a four-year-old. As a descendant of the Stolen Generations, Wood has always been committed to serving her community, and that commitment has deepened since Teddy’s birth.
“My great-grandmother was the same age as Teddy is now when she was removed,” Wood says. “Having that Stolen Generations history, you’re just always acutely aware how in one moment of one child being removed, the lifelong and intergenerational impact that then has on that family.
“You hold this tiny little thing in your arms, and then those stories of babies and children being taken away just hits in a completely different, physically painful way.”
