my country childhood

EVER SINCE Brooke Boney started introducing her news bulletins on Triple J radio with a cheery “Yaama!”, it was clear she was going to make her mark. “Yaama” means “hello” in Gamilaroi, the language of her people in northern NSW. In her first month as an entertainment reporter on Today in January 2019, Brooke discussed the campaign to change the date of Australia Day. Being an Indigenous voice on mainstream media is a responsibility she’s proud to bear.

“There’s no pressure from Channel Nine to talk about these things, but I do feel a responsibility to the community I’m part of,” 33-year-old Brooke says. “I feel responsibility to my family and to my ancestors. I’m only in this position because the people before me worked so hard to give me these opportunities, so if I didn’t take advantage of them and do what I think is right for the community,