Living Data

Voices from the Southern Ocean/
Co-creators

Disclaimers, Copyrights and Citations

Voices from the Southern Ocean/Index 2019 2020 2021 2022

The songlines are such an important part of our mental and spiritual structure.
They are lines of energy that run between places, animals and people.

Uncle Max Dulumunmun Harrison, 2009

Chriss Bull
Human ecology, social science, community development, project management

I am a fourth generation Pakeha from Aotearoa New Zealand who has been living in Sydney for less than two years. I moved here with my partner who took up a job opportunity that's great for her, but I have to say, I've been also been privileged to work here on a number of incredibly interesting projects, including Voices from the Southern Ocean. This powerful piece of work flowed from me working with Dr Megan Williams and her team, at Girra Maa Indigenous Health Discipline within the Graduate School of Health at UTS.

I am on a steep learning curve about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and cultures, what is means to be on and care for Country, the deep and very, very longstanding relationship with this land. I am fascinated that Indigenous Australians have stories about ice ages in their oral histories - whereas back home, ice ages are without humans involved. From what we understand, Aotearoa was not inhabited by people - Maori - until around 800 years ago.

I studied human ecology (MSc Human Ecology) in Edinburgh, Scotland in early to mid 2000s and have since worked in community-led development and co-design informed projects within the social and community sector in Aotearoa. I have also worked for an environmental NGO called Ngā Uruora Kāpiti Project, where I live (and will return eventually) in Aotearoa.

Chriss Bull, 14 July 2019