Job Seeker Winner Interview – Sarah

I’m currently living in Birpai country where I was born and bred. My family is one of the biggest families on the mid North Coast.

My beautiful grandmother Elizabeth O’Brien was born and bred, Burnt bridge, south Kempsey, NSW 

Nan was a part of the stolen generation; she was one of 10 children taken from her mother.

Growing up with Nan when she was alive was the best years of my life. Out of 33 of Nana’s great grandchildren I was the only one that got to spend that one on one time with her. Every weekend, school holidays and all the times I wasn’t playing softball, we would be out by the beach doing the pipi dance, playing on the big sand dunes, swimming, catching the pippies that got away from the aunties in the water, laughing and having fun.

Some of my best memories are Nan and some of the aunties sitting up in the beach opening and cleaning the pippies, then we’d head back to nana’s and my aunties house and cook up a big pipi stew, damper, fried scones, and while the aunties cooked my uncles, brothers, cousins would have a game of backyard cricket and if it wasn’t the beach we were at we’d be at the river swimming, fishing, bbqing.

I moved to North Queensland Gympie just after I turned 16.

But then I moved back home when I was 19yrs old I had my first child, she was born on Christmas Day moved to Coolangatta Queensland a year later and had my second child and he was born on the Easter Sunday, so both my first children are born on the most holiest days out of the year.My third child you wouldn’t believe the due date 14/2 valentines days another stand out day but she was born 7 days earlier than the due date. 

I moved to Sydney Mount Druitt Sydney, St Claire, St Mary’s and Penrith where I had my fourth child and again her due date was another special day for me as it’s a day before my beautiful grandmother’s birthday 20/5. I definitely have to say “I’m very blessed by my Ancestors and I definitely have my Nan loving me and protecting me.

I’m now 45 yrs old living back in my hometown working part-time with children, school holiday at our local activity center KIDS CRAZY MAZE for me it’s not a job because I love what I do, I get to love, care and nurture the next generation and leave a footprint in the sand so to speak, living and leaving a legacy in my grandmother’s name.