Jenny Shillingsworth
I had to learn to be Aboriginal

I came to Minto in 1981. I’d just come down from the country. I suppose I really moved out here because I was desperate for a house. I had five children with me and we ended up getting a house here in Minto.

I suppose when you’re a new person in the area, it’s pretty hard because you don’t know anyone and I didn’t have any friends. The children didn’t either until they started school. I was very lucky, I had good neighbours. I believe the neighbours make the community.

I work in literacy and numeracy with Aboriginal children because I’m Aboriginal myself and I just love working with Koori kids.

I go back to the Stolen Generation. There’s a lot of things I’ve had to adjust to being Aboriginal because I was brought up with white people and I was very well assimilated. I had a white attitude and it was really hard for me to mix with Aboriginal people.

I went back home, met my mum when I was 20. Even that was a culture shock because I’d never been with so many Aboriginal people in my life. It scared me so much that I had to get in the car and go home.

To me, I had to learn to be Aboriginal. I couldn’t go in with this white attitude of how I was bred up and put that on them. I had to become Aboriginal to work with Aboriginal people. I had to find myself on this journey and I’m still finding myself. It’s a painful story but out of that I’m stronger than what I ever was.