A reasonable account of happenings that would otherwise go unrecounted
Every day of that first arduous COVID winter, Rees Quilford dived into the bracing cold of Bass Strait, took a Polaroid photo, and documented his thoughts. The resulting essay won the 2021 Bass Coast Prize for Non-Fiction.
This work was developed on the unceded lands and waterways of the Bunurong and Woi Wurrung language groups of the Eastern Kulin nations. Much of the fieldwork, including visitation, writing and documentation, was undertaken on the lands of the Yallock-Bulluk clan of the Bunurong people.
The Bunurong people are the first storytellers of these lands. Their sovereignty was never ceded. This is, and always will be Aboriginal Land.
I respectfully acknowledge the Indigenous Ancestors and Elders, past, present and emerging.
In terms of my position as a visitor on those lands, I state my lineage and purpose. I am Rees Quilford. I am a fourth-generation settler of Welsh-Irish descent. I am a writer, communications professional and a PhD candidate with RMIT University.
I was born and currently live on Bunurong land. I try to tread lightly, understand my place and listen to what it’s telling me.