Joe Northover talks about family celebrations

Audio Recording

Joe Northover talks about family celebrations

Audio Transcript

Denise Cook: And how did you get together as a young person for family celebrations?

Joe Northover: Because we are a big family, like there are twelve of us, we always had big Christmases until our sister died. That’s when it sort of went, never had them things no more. Wasn’t the same. But always had big Christmases and birthday parties and things because we always, Mum and Dad always cooked their own things. Aunty Betty ‘n’ them and our sisters, Karen and Lynette and Marg always cooked their own chooks, like stuffed them with their own stuffing. Oh they were lovely. The lead up to Christmas was the best. Now you go and buy them and it’s like Christmas Day. See I don’t believe in it anyway. Don’t worry me no more. To me, you know the most important thing is birthdays. People say why birthdays? Well that’s the day you were born into this world. That’s the day that the world met you for the first time and thirty five, forty, fifty, sixty years later that’s why you should celebrate birthdays because it’s very important. Same with people like they’ll say you know, you asked about the beginning if it’s alright to say their names. I do because I talk about them because I want to honour them. If we don’t then we forget them. We forget to talk about them. But if they’re such important people in our lives then why shouldn’t we talk about them because they play an important part and they my heroes so I always talk about them and honour them.

From: Joe Northover, interview for South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council, 31 July 2008

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SWALSC followed cultural protocols to obtain permission to use this oral history on the website. It is also protected by copyright law and may only be used for private study, research, criticism or review. If you would like to use it for any commercial purposes, including publication, making copies for sale, or modifying it please contact SWALSC on reception@noongar.org.au or Level 2, 100 Royal Street, East Perth WA 6004.
Note: In some cases the written transcript has been edited with permission from the person interviewed and may differ slightly from the audio recording.

Permission to use this audio recording kindly granted by Joe Northover

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