In 2014, the first \u2018all Aboriginal\u2019 relay team swam into the history books as they completed the Rottnest Channel Swim.<\/p>\n
Sally Goldrick, lecturer with the School of Media Culture and Creative Arts at Â鶹ֱ²¥, captured these moments and is now able to share them with the world with the documentary Whadjuk to Wadjemup.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne day I was having a discussion with a former colleague, Dennis Simmons from the TV program Noongar Dandjoo, who mentioned he was part of a group that were training to become the first all Aboriginal relay team in history to swim in the Rottnest Channel Swim,\u201d Ms Goldrick said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI asked him why there had been no team that had attempted this in the past and he responded with two very good reasons.<\/p>\n
\u201cFirstly, Rottnest Island or Wadjemup as it is known in the Nyoongar community, was a prison for Aboriginal people in the 1800s to early 1900s. Thousands of Indigenous men and boys were held as prisoners there during this time and several attempts were made to escape Wadjemup and swim back to Perth (Whadjuk),\u201d Ms Goldrick said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnother reason was that the swim begins at Cottesloe Beach, a region that the local Aboriginal people traditionally called the \u2018home of the shark.\u2019 A Nyoongar creation story warns Aboriginal people not to swim in the area unless you want to end up as shark fodder.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew that despite this dark underlying history, this was a positive story that needed to be told and watched by the next generation,\u201d Ms Goldrick said.<\/p>\n
As the producer, co-director and as one of the camera operators, Sally was present during all of the filming, from the initial training sessions and practice open water swims to the final event.<\/p>\n
\u201cWatching and capturing on camera the swimmers crossing the finish line and holding up the Aboriginal flag was such a special moment,\u201d Ms Goldrick said.<\/p>\n
The film has been nominated for an Australian Teachers of Media (ATOM) Award<\/a> in the short-form documentary category. The ATOM awards recognise film and media excellence in education and industry and will take place in Melbourne on 26 November.<\/p>\n