Uncle Paul Gordon
Paul Gordon is a Ngemba man, born at Brewarrina. He grew up in a tin humpy/hut on the Barwon River in north western New South Wales, Australia. Since 1983 he has spent most of his time with the Old Men doing cultural activities and being taught by them Aboriginal Lore.
Today Uncle Paul is recognized as a senior Elder, and he is one of the highest initiated Aboriginal men in NSW.
In a book written by an Paul Callaghan, called ‘Iridescence – Finding Your Colours and Living Your Story”, Uncle Paul has provided the wisdom of the Aboriginal knowledge keeper to the Aboriginal author.
“To me, being Aboriginal is not the colour of your skin but your connection and responsibility to country and all things in nature. For example, your connection to trees, fish, birds, rivers, rocks and starts. It isn’t about how you look. It isn’t even about your bloodlines. It is about something unseen, deep inside you.[1]“ Paul Gordon
He has been travelling, teaching, and connecting with other Lore men and women throughout Australia. For the past years, he has been running camps and workshops for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people to reconnect to Culture.
As CEO of an Aboriginal training organisation he developed leadership model which integrates cultural values into personal behaviour and business practices.
His passion always was and still is to keep traditional Aboriginal ceremony alive.
In the not too distant future he will start giving deep culture immersion camps from his home base in Brewarrina (NSW) where the oldest Aboriginal fish traps are.
As a traditional knowledge holder and custodian of Aboriginal Lore throughout Australia, he is wants to share ceremony with all people.
Personal note:
I (Eva) have known Uncle Paul for 30 years, when we met and dreamt together of creating an educational camp for Indigenous and non-indigenous people. It wasn’t time then.
We met again for the first time a few months ago, under auspicious circumstances, and we agree, it’s time now.
[1] Paul Callaghan and Paul Gordon, 2016, : “Iridescence – finding your colours and living your story” MoshPit Publishing https://www.amazon.com.au/iridescence-Finding-colours-living-story/dp/1925529568
