Welcome to our Country: In Conversation with Adam Goodes and Ellie Laing

Adam Goodes and Ellie Laing, together with David Hardy, are the creators of Welcome to Our Country - a five-part picturebook series that examines what it means to learn, share and grow together in Australia. Inspired by Ellie's son, who came home from daycare reciting an Acknowledgement of Country, and built by a collaboration between Adam and Ellie that's also a cultural exchange, these books show young readers a journey towards walking alongside and learning from First Nations Australians to care, and build a better future, for Country. 

We caught up with Adam and Ellie to talk about the series, the importance of sharing stories like these, and how they're being used in classrooms, in homes, and across the country to open up a much-needed and long overdue dialogue about culture, history, and community. 

Key questions covered during the webinar include:

• 3:20: How did the series come to be, and how did each collaborator get involved with the Welcome to our Country project?
• 9:30: What are each of the books about? What themes and experiences do they grapple with, and what are the different perspectives showcased in each narrative - and which book was inspired by the Uluru Statement from the Heart?
• 21:45: Looking back on the whole Welcome to our Country journey, what have you learned along the way? How have the stories evolved? 
• 30:40: What kind of feedback have you received from young readers and teachers?
• 34:20 What advice would you offer to young people in embracing the possibilities of creative projects like writing, drawing, and creating? 
• 41:00: Are there any details in, or features of, the books that you'd like to share with our teacher audience?
• 43:45: How do you look after yourself when facing the cultural load of explaining, storytelling and sharing all the time? What can non-Indigenous colleagues do to support Indigenous people and leaders who are taking on that responsibility?