This is my fathers country. He loved his saltwater country. And he was a great sea man. All his stories, culture and beliefs are centred around his saltwater country, the sea, the reefs, the islands and everything that lives there. l’ve been told many times from my paii (grandmother; my fathers mother) that my father spent most of his life growing up on the coast, on his sea country. He is a saltwater man given to her by the brown stingray.

My father spent most of his life on these waters, on the reef with me and my brothers, and his father and elders. I always think about his saltwater country, and I try to get out there on the waters every-time where I can feel his presence. I bring my daughter here for the same reason. My father passed away when I was eight so my daughter didn't get the chance to meet him but I know he sees her and he is with us through the life of the sea.