Swagging On Country
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In 2014, Matriarchal Elder Irene Roberts and her friend Nanna Biddy shared a night swagging around a campfire with Geraldine Reilly at their family camp at Yandeyarra. It was here that Irene shared her vision for people to come and learn about their traditional Aboriginal way of life. She asked Geraldine to help her, and together with her daughter Margie Stewart, to make this vision a reality. Geraldine understood the importance and privilege of this request, and committed to support Irene and her family to help make this happen.
For the past ten years, The Stewart Family and Geraldine Reilly (GRG Consulting) have been developing this rare opportunity for you and your teams to participate in a transformational Swagging On Country RAP immersion experience.
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The honouring and mutual exchange of our shared humanity beyond skin with an open heart is core to this experience, where participants have the privilege of camping with trusted and honoured Aboriginal Elders and their family, in a private location On Country.
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A program with purpose
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The purpose of Swagging On Country is to support you to have a trusted experience of the richness, wisdom and value of traditional Aboriginal life and culture. The program's gentle facilitation by group process specialists increases the quality of your experience, and your understanding of the importance of cultural responsibilities such as honouring lore, sorry time and avoidance relationships.
Other benefits of participating in Swagging On Country are that it meets the objectives of your company’s RAP and promotes psychological safety, self-awareness, trust, resilience, positive team culture and community engagement.
This enables you to refresh, re-set and re-align yourself to yours and your company’s values, vision and success goals so you can continue to play your full part and thrive as part of the team.
Your company’s involvement in Swagging On Country, also supports The Stewart family to develop this important initiative into a thriving sustainable small business.
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A program with impact
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Most Australians, let alone people who live outside of Australia, have never had an authentic connection with an Aboriginal person or traditional Aboriginal culture. Swagging offers that opportunity where rather than being told about it, or reading about it - you get to experience it for yourself. An incredibly rare opportunity.
Everyone benefits from the programs we run. It brings jobs and income to the community, it builds healing, pride and dignity through the sharing of traditional culture.
The family love to share their stories with people who are genuinely open and interested in listening and learning. It is this mutual experience of knowledge, information and experiences that is deeply satisfying for everybody involved.
It helps the family pass on and preserve their knowledge, traditional way of life, and culture to future generations. It stimulates interest, excitement and understanding about the practices of lore and sorry time...important cornerstone sof Aboriginal culture. And it increases understanding about the significance of these practises in contemporary life and work culture.
2014
The beginning of Swagging
Irene, Geraldine and Nanna Biddy swag overnight at 2 Mile Camp. Irene asks Geraldine to help her with her vision of sharing their traditional culture with non-Aboriginal people.
2021
Postpones and preparation
May - First Swagging on Country program postponed due to Irene’s illness.
July – Filming Irene’s documentary story for her family after she was told she had 3 months to live.
July – Irene received healing experience from her father.
2022
The first Swagging Experience
June – September. 1st Swagging On Country program with 7 women followed by 7 other corporate programs with Fortescue and Mineral Resources
2023
Kicking into gear
June – September. 2nd Swagging On Country women’s program followed by 15 other corporate programs with Fortescue, Mineral Resources and Roy Hill.
2024
Sadness, healing and new friends
Irene Roberts passed away and her vision lives on. Family grieves in sorry time and Swagging start date is delayed with 2 programs postponed. Pilbara Minerals and two new family members join Swagging for the first time.
2025
Innovations and continuing the story
World premiere of “Irene” documentary at Women’s program. The Weekend Australian Magazine story published
​Coming together in our shared humanity,
beyond skin with an open heart​
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What does it mean:
We attend to the little details so your experience is welcoming, comfortable and safe, and supports you to relax and receive the peace and healing out here on country.
We welcome everyone to sit together equally and experience the joy of connection at many levels. When we’re centred in our hearts rather than our heads, we are able to experience one another differently - without our unconscious preferences, biases and judgements that are often present and out of our awareness.
Spending time with the Stewart family on Country is fun, lighthearted, and also deeply moving.
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Shared humanity
This experience will give you the opportunity to, perhaps for the first time, to become part of an Aboriginal family for a few days. Experience how they really live On Country, practice the old ways - hunting, fishing, cooking, celebrating, dancing, and telling stories.
You’ll step into a new experience that will change you. We talk and share openly about our experiences, our differences, our values and qualities - the things that bind us at a deeper level.
When we scratch the surface beneath the colour of our skin, we discover the qualities that connect us. That sustain and nourish us. This is a chance to celebrate those together. A chance to celebrate what makes us human.
It’s a mutual exchange, we’re both giving and receiving ourselves. This is not a performance or tourism experience. It’s a deeply nourishing experiential learning experience that will shift you in ways that you’ll understand when you experience it.
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Wisdom:
Our purpose is to develop shared and trusted community, and support participants to deepen their experience, appreciation and awareness of traditional Aboriginal culture. It also provides a wonderful opportunity for the Stewart family to enjoy, engage and to share their family stories and cultural history with whoever choose to come Swagging On Country.