My Aunty, Kerry Parker Sharlotte Parker-Barry | Year 8
‘Respect the people who love you and take advantage of the opportunities out in the community to help you achieve your goals/dreams. With a positive mind, you can do anything you set your mind to.’ Aunty Kerry, 2021.
My Aunty Kerry was born in October of 1977. She was raised in the small community of Mount Isa, located in the Gulf Country region of Queensland. Her Aboriginal connections are to Kalkadoon (Mount Isa) and Pitta Pitta (Boulia) tribes. She is the eldest of seven children and is a mother to three daughters – Shaqeigha (25), Chontelle (24) and Kerry Jnr (21). From her daughter Chontelle, she has one grandchild Axton (2). She is a well-respected Elder within the Aboriginal community in Mt Isa, and she is always up for a cuppa (tea) and a yarn (talk). During community events such as NAIDOC Week and Reconciliation Day, Aunty Kerry is a very enthusiastic woman and will always get involved when something is happening. During her early teen years, Aunty Kerry would go out to stations where family lived and worked. She also spent some time in a remote community located in Doomadgee, which used to be a mission school up until the 1960s. This is where she would stay with family and learnt the way of their culture. This is where Aunty Kerry would also learn how to hunt, clean, and cook goannas, kangaroos, and bush turkeys. Another favourite memory of hers was as a teenager, when she spent time near the Northern Territory border on Station Number Three where her uncle, aunty and grandparents lived and worked on the land. There, she would wake up early to go and help them out with the daily jobs. One day, her uncle told her she was big enough to learn how to drive; she was around 14 years old. She was excited and got into the driver’s seat and started the car not realising the car was in first gear and jumped the car. She drove from Station Number Three into Camooweal, which was a three-hour drive, ‘bunny hopping’ the car when stopping at the many gates. But she was happy that she had the opportunity to learn how to drive. During her later years, she learnt how to take care of her siblings and learnt the household chores of cooking, cleaning, and everyday duties. However, in her late teens and early 20s, she started her family with her first daughter born in 1996, her second in 1997, and her third child in 2000. She finished her schooling years in 1995.
During her days she would go out bush with her family searching for water holes and ancient artefacts just outside of Mount Isa, around Cloncurry and Camooweal. She started this as a young girl with her family and still continues searching to this day. When out in the bush, they would find bush tucker. Some of the bush tucker included witchetty grubs, concaberries (like a blackberry), and wild bananas. One of her favourite memories as a child was in the wet season just after the floods. They went out to Fountain Springs, which is the local watering hole located 100km from Mount Isa. Once they got off the main road onto the dirt road, they would be allowed to ride in the back of the car. Because of all the rain, the dirt road was wet and muddy. When they drove through it, the mud flicked up the side and hit them. So, when they got to the water, they would jump straight in for a swim. When all her children started school, her first employment was in the fast food/ retail sector. In 2005, she worked with the Queensland Government in the Youth Justice system working with young Indigenous children. Her work included helping these children to connect and be educated about the cultural ways in their tribe and community. She finished with Youth Justice in 2021 and went on to another government job working for the Department of Seniors, Disability Services and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, where her role is Senior Project Officer. She helps Indigenous people gain employment and obtain training and certificates in jobs they are interested in. She also helps businesses with advertising and promoting their local business as well as finding grants and funding to help them succeed. Aunty Kerry has also studied during her working career and has achieved a Diploma in Leadership for government. This was one her proudest achievements. Another of her greatest achievements, which she is very proud of, was when she bought her very own home in 2009. She has worked hard in her life to achieve her goals in her career and family life. She was a single mother to three daughters and worked full-time for the most of their childhood. She was able to manage with a good balance of work and family life to also help her own children achieve their childhood dreams. Aunty Kerry has very few regrets. However, one of her biggest regrets was starting a family too soon. She wished that she had made sure she had bought a house and car and made sure she had full-time employment before starting a family of her own. Aunty Kerry’s goal in life is to work until she has enough money to travel around Australia.
32/Mulu Maguydan
