Westfield, Warringah Mall
In working on this project it is impossible not to consult with chief Gai-Marigal academic, historiographer and custodian Uncle Dennis Foley and his published works. It is one such yarn of Uncles that has struck me for the longest time and it is from his heart to your ears we facilitate his sentiment…
“From a very early age we were taught the breakdown between male and female philosophy.When the morning star (Venus) Yoolah, comes, that is after Yoolah appears in the sky until the sun rises, it's women's time: the men and the older kids leave the women perfectly alone; we don't go near them.? That gives the women of the clan time to look after young children and go down to the water for their practices. It was very organised. Even when I was a small child my grandmother used to do this. She'd go up and bathe in the ocean in those early hours of the morning and take me up because I was a small child. It was a respectful time; it was a beautiful time of peace and silence. You know, that pre-daylight, that pre-dawn, when there's just that glow to the east. We spoke softly. Then the sun would come up and bang, we were into the daily affairs and the hustle and bustle of life.