Custodial Care by Ella Noah Bancroft and Kirilly Dawn

In Episode 7 of Custodial Care, Kirilly yarns with Izzy Walton and Chelsea Claydon who were early on the scene volunteering at the Koori Mail Flood Hub and became integral in setting up the Koori Kitchen. Izzy is a chef and Chelsea is a producer and together they organised the volunteer-run community kitchen that feed thousands of people in Lismore and the surrounding areas who had no access to kitchens or shops, 7 days a week for many months after the devastating 2022 floods in the Northern Rivers region, Bundjalung country. Here they tell the stories of how the kitchen evolved and the help they received from thousands of volunteers, the hospitality community, Koori Mail, World Central Kitchen, Tribal Warrior and eventually government agencies. They talk tips on food and disaster relief management, and the incredible healing power of community, volunteering and camaraderie after a natural disaster.

In Episode 6 of Custodial Care, Ella yarns with Aunty Jackie Laurie and Wayne King who were integral to the smooth operations at the Koori Mail Flood Hub, after the devastating floods in the Northern Rivers region,  February 2022. Here they volunteered day in, day out throughout 2022, unpacking, managing and distributing the thousands of donations that arrived daily. They helped coordinate the Koori Kitchen that fed thousands of tired and hungry flood victims and volunteers for free. The Koori Kitchen became a place not just about food but also a safe place for tired, vulnerable people, for elders and for people seeking community and connection. Jackie is a Bundjalung and Yaegl woman and Wayne is a born and bred Widjabul Wia-bul, Bundjalung man, they are first cousins, and they are very funny together. In this interview you can hear how their comedic relationship spread joy, humour and energy at the Koori Mail Flood Hub during the very tiring and difficult months of relentless work after the floods of 2022.   

Episode 5 of Custodial Care, Kirilly yarns with Bundjalung woman Aunty Rose Walker about her experiences at the Koori Mail Flood Hub. For many months after the devastating February 2022 floods in Lismore, Aunty Rose volunteered in the free op shop area at the Koori Mail Flood Hub. Here she took on the job of organising and distributing the enormous influx of donations sent to the Koori Mail from all over Australia, in order to help the thousands of people who had lost everything. Through her patience, dedication and thoughtful leadership she became known as the Aunty of the Op Shop. In this interview Aunty Rose describes the feeling of wonder and energy that came with this work, the heartfelt care for the whole community, “black, white and brindle” that emanated out of the Koori Mail Flood Hub, and how things feel as though they can really change for the better when people are able to properly connect and care for each other throughout the whole community.

Episode 4 of Custodial Care, Ella interviews Kirilly about her experience volunteering at the Koori Mail Flood Hub after the February 2022 floods on the Northern Rivers of NSW. Kirilly is a Barkindji woman, she is a doula and also works in birth advocacy, somatics and bodywork. All of her work revolves around care, for women, for children, for community and here she reflects on the organic evolution of the Koori Mail Flood Hub that was driven by the care and energy of volunteers. Kirilly became a pivotal contact at the Hub, helping people in isolated areas after the floods by facilitating information into local action; local helicopter owners, local truck owners, people who could transport food and supplies to cut off communities and individuals. She and Ella consider concepts around the value of care in our society, capitalism, colonisation and the care economy, and how natural disasters reveal the deep importance of relationships, community and care for human survival.

https://kirillydawn.com/

https://www.thereturning.com.au/postpartum-care

Episode 3 of Custodial Care, Kirilly Dawn interviews partner and colleague Ella Noah Bancroft about her experiences responding to local communities after the devastating February 2022 floods on the Northern Rivers of NSW. Ella and Kirilly were based 45 minutes outside of Lismore, and commuted through flood devastated lands and towns everyday for many months to volunteer at the Koori Mail Flood Hub. They were integral to establishing the Koori Mail Flood Hub and coordinating thousands of volunteers and donations to help the people of Lismore and surrounding communities. Ella describes the incredible evolution of this vital disaster relief hub, created under Blak leadership for the whole community, from grassroots connections and relationships, trust and Blak joy. 

Ella is a Bundjalung woman, an artist, a published author, mentor, Connection Therapist and activist. She is concerned with re-wilding and the feminine force. She also writes an opinion piece for the Koori Mail Newspaper.

https://www.ellanoahbancroft.net/

In Episode 2 of Custodial Care, Kirilly Dawn yarns with Amarina Toby (and her baby Jalu). Amarina is a Bundjalung woman with ties to the Gaangalu nation, she is an artist and has recently become a mum. At the time of the 2022 floods in Lismore, Amarina was working at Koori Mail Newspaper as the social media coordinator, she also ran an Indigenous art gallery called Amarina AARI (Aboriginal Artist Run Initiative) in the Star Court Arcade, located downtown Lismore. When the flood hit the town on 28th February 2022, her gallery was destroyed, and as the water subsided she was one of the first on the scene to see the epic damage to streets and buildings, homes and businesses. She was also one of the first to mobilise community action via grassroots and social media communication. In this interview Amarina describes the incredible evolution of the Koori Mail Flood Relief Hub, from nothing but a table and a box of donated bananas to a fully operational disaster management site that supported the whole town and the surrounding communities in the wake of a natural disaster.

In the first episode of Custodial Care, Ella Noah Bancroft talks with Naomi Moran, General Manager of Koori Mail Newspaper about the devastating flood in Lismore on 28th February, 2022 and how it impacted the town and surrounding communities and how the Flood Relief Hub quickly evolved at the Koori Mail.