On July 7th and 8th , as part of NAIDOC Week 2025, Don Rowlands OAM, Aboriginal Elder and Chief Ranger at Mungathirri National Park, Queensland, led the first ‘Global Story Circle’ online event from Birdsville Hall, a remote region close to the Simpson Desert in Outback Australia. NAIDOC stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee, a yearly Australian celebration that recognizes the history, culture, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Don welcomed Sitakumari, Director of Heartstone, joining from the organisation’s base in Highland Scotland UK. Dr Donna Beisel – Director of the Rosa Parks Museum joined from Alabama, USA and Ms Nuala Riddell-Morales joined from London – Director of the internationally renowned Carnaval del Pueblo involving the Latin American peoples of Colombia, Mexico, Bolivia, Costa Rica and other S American countries.
All are reading ‘The Rainbow Serpent’ story and others from the ‘Dreamtime’ as contributed by Don to Heartstone’s global environmental project ‘Cura Earth’ led from Highland Scotland. The stories are becoming the foundation for discussion, debate and inspiring active environmental initiatives in each location. The digital artwork image here, produced by Nick Sidle, is a representation of the Rainbow Serpent against the backdrop of the Big Red Sand Dune, the iconic feature of the landscape around Birdsville.
The Cùra Earth stories are a gateway into the natural world from a new and innovative direction. Each story includes the latest environmental science, combined with cultural story from across the world, including those of indigenous communities, and history showing how people across the millennia have related to the world that surrounds them. It also shows how many practices developed over the centuries still have a place in the modern world and how locations such as Queensland are incorporating them.
Heartstone tells stories that demonstrate a common human experience and from different perspectives and that includes history. In this case, the story told is what happened when the Europeans first arrived in Australia and the devastating impact this had on the Aboriginal communities who were already there. The collision of two different worlds and ultimately, the effect of this on the natural world is covered in the Heartstone story, ‘Globalisation’. This and the stories contributed by Don have led to the creation of a complete new section on the ‘Cùra Earth’. website. To read the stories, go to www.curaearth.com ‘Feature Stories’ and scroll down to Oceania.
Sitakumari presented how a new Cùra Earth story is produced. The spectacular images of Nick Sidle, photographer, form the foundation drawing on a collection of over 2m images in his photo library to which he is now adding his powerful and emotive digital art. With the addition of the cultural stories contributed by partners from across the world, such as Don, working in collaboration with Nick in his writer role, together with the latest scientific findings linked to the subjects featured, a Cùra Feature Story is born.
Neptune Islands, Spencer Gulf
South Australia
Don is one of the contributing partners and has put forwards stories from the Aboriginal Dreamtime. These are stories which form a foundation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, providing a framework for people as to how they should relate to and interact with the world that surrounds them. The collaboration between Don and Nick took shape over several weeks in which time the new feature story for Cùra finally took shape. The Cùra stories are now being read and used by a growing number of individuals and groups worldwide who have become part of the ‘Global Story Circle’, in the process developing a greater understanding of the natural world, how human society is connected with it and what we all need to do to help preserve and protect it in the face of loss of biodiversity and climate change.
Photographs Kangaroos and Great White shark: ©Nick Sidle All Rights Reserved
At this event, Sitakumari, in her role as the principal dancer/storyteller for Heartstone introduced Don, above, and the partners in three of the locations – Cairngorm National Park in Highland Scotland, Rosa Parks Museum in Alabama and Latin America through Carnaval del Pueblo. All are reading the Rainbow Serpent and other Cùra stories. Those reaching groups of children and young people spoke of the impact this is having, helping to build understanding that there may be more than one way to see the world.
Senior Elder, Don Rowlands OAM said:
‘Birdsville is another name for ‘Welcome’. It’s the first time NAIDOC has gone global, it is the most wonderful thing, to be able to welcome and speak with people from other cultures and backgrounds was very special.’
He highlighted how ancient practices, such as the use of fire to help regenerate the land, are being used today in Munga-Thirri, and he is continuing to contribute stories to Cura Earth – Oceania, not just from his cultural background but also associated with his family and their direct experiences in the context of conservation and preservation.
Digital artwork above and right: ©Nick Sidle from ‘The Rainbow Serpent’ – Oceania
Donna Beisel, Director, Rosa Parks Museum, Alabama, at left, below Sitakumari on screen said:
‘The Rosa Parks Museum in Montgomery, Alabama, United States, was honored to be involved in the NAIDOC 2025 event and look forward to our continued collaboration with the launch of The Global Story Circle and further enhancement of Cùra Earth. Cùra Earth amplifies often-overlooked and unheard voices and histories, bringing them to the forefront of mainstream awareness. It invites us to see the natural world through new perspectives and reminds us why its protection is a shared responsibility. We believe our participation in this important project strengthened our broader summer camp curriculum designed to teach students about the power of nonviolent social change, focusing on the American Civil Rights Movement while drawing parallels to global struggles for justice.’
Nuala Riddell-Morales, Director, Carnaval del Pueblo in London said:
‘We are all one globally and Story Circles, in line with Carnaval del Pueblo’s vision through culture, is making this more apparent. We are all united in our work with people and look to unify the world in all we do through treasuring the environment, culture and creative healthy, sustainable living for all.’
Also part of the event, Mr Olly Davies of Cairngorms National Park in Highland Scotland, at left, who are partnering with Cùra Earth said:
‘We recognise in Cairngorms National Park the importance of community in all its shapes, sizes and differences and of course of connection, something that Cura Earth really believes in and that NAIDOC have been doing for half a century. People and nature thrive together, the Park belongs to everyone and we are inspired by the work of people all over the world, including NAIDOC. Thank you for all the inspiration you bring!’
This is the first ‘Global Story Circle’ event to be staged in Australia following launch of the initiative from Inverness, Scotland in 2024. The Global Story Circle is the name given to all readers/users of Heartstone stories across the world. This special inclusion in the 50th Anniversary of the NAIDOC celebrations is being highlighted to all the Cùra Earth partners and will mark the start of a year-long collaboration with Don and his Queensland partners. Don’s dream of connecting people, including indigenous communities worldwide, through, in his case, the Dreamtime stories from his own cultural background and bringing a message of hope and relevance in today’s world has started taking shape.
Heartstone is grateful for the funding and support of:
NatureScot – the environmental arm of the Scottish Government, The Pebble Trust, Cainrgorm National Park for the development of the Cura Earth website.
For this event and opening film:
Birdsville Hall, The Birdsville Hotel, Bruce Air and Electrical, Kevin Barr Snr, Sgt Stephen Pursell, Karrawa-Warra, WiRinya Coffee Place, Birdsville Firewood Services
Our thanks also to Christina Canendo, Our Country Advisory Service (OCAS)
Greg Donovan and Julieta Diez, Managing Director and Communications Co-Ordinator Outback Music Festival Group, for their support for the event.
The Birdsville Hotel, above, one of the sponsors, is an iconic award winning pub, the main focus of Birdsville, and in the words of the inhabitants:
‘Munga-Thirri Desert is the magic – the Birdsville Pub is the magnet!’
