Ruth Surya is UWA Master of Landscape Architecture student who applied for an internship through the McCusker Centre for Citizenship, motivated by her desire to gain professional experience while contributing to the community.
Selected for an Aboriginal Heritage Support Intern role with the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage (DPLH), Ruth was able to use her skills and experience in a context that was entirely new to her, deepening her cultural understanding while contributing to sensitive and valuable work.
“In my role, I needed to understand the relationships between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people, and especially the impact of past frontier violence on these relationships,” said Ruth.
“The work I supported focusses on engaging with Aboriginal people and communities, building meaningful connections, and contributing to collaborative projects that memorialise the victims of frontier violence, including massacres. The objective of this work is to serve as part of a healing process for Aboriginal people, and to educate non-Aboriginal people.”
Ruth created a presentation of how nations around the world have memorialised large scale historical abuses of human rights, including examples such as the Killing Fields in Cambodia and the Kigali Genocide Memorial in Rwanda. In Western Australia, significant numbers of Aboriginal people were killed in events of frontier conflict, yet there is no memorial where people can engage with the scale of this tragedy.
Ruth used her research, sketching and graphic design skills to present information in a way that was visually engaging while also respectful of the seriousness of this history.
She also had the opportunity to assist with the repatriation of ancestral remains from the United States to Ballardong Country, a particularly meaningful experience in her internship.
“While I cannot claim to fully understand the emotional weight of this situation, being involved increased my empathy, and my respect for Aboriginal communities’ connection to ancestors and country.”
Luke Donegan, Manager of the Sites of Truth Telling program in DPLH, said that Ruth’s work on case studies and her presentation would help Aboriginal communities and Government to consider the best options for the memorialisation of this history, as well as helping the broader WA community understand the importance of truth-telling.
“Large-scale memorials enable people to engage with traumatic historical events in safe and contemplative environments, and they can contribute to the healing of generational survivors of these events,” Mr Donegan said.
“Aboriginal communities in Western Australia continue to feel the impacts of colonisation and frontier violence, and our community in general needs to understand this history so that people can heal and move forward with their lives. This is a generational endeavour, but Ruth’s sensitive and empathic presentation is an important contribution to this work.”
For Ruth, the opportunity to contribute to community-focussed work also came with invaluable exposure to a professional environment.
“My supervisor was very supportive, and I built connections with people in DPLH. I attended a range of meetings and discussions with experts, including an end-of-year workshop. Through participating in these meetings, I learned how to express my thoughts professionally and respectfully, and to engage in meaningful conversations.
“I hope that the work I contributed through my internship leads to collaborative projects and ongoing conversations.”