Geera Nhama-ya, Mt Keira
The Sacred Call of Geera
I was taught the Dreaming story as I walked around Geera (Mt. Keira), where I first heard the music that would define my life. Guided by the wisdom of the Dharawal Elders and in collaboration with Dr. Jodi Edwards, a Dharawal Custodian, I have dedicated my work to developing music, songs, and dances that reflect Dharawal Lore. This musical theme is the accompanying score of the Dreamtime story of Geera—a mountain that has provided me with warmth, comfort, and protection since I was a child.
A Vow Fulfilled: The Journey Home
On January 10th, 1978, at the age of 14, I climbed Geera to watch the sunrise one last time before leaving for my parents’ homeland in Spain. I cried on those slopes and vowed to return to their safety and inspiration. In 2022, after a 55-year journey through music and the personal loss of my mother, I finally fulfilled that vow. I returned to Wollongong to find that my music had changed; it became simple, direct, and focused on the acceptance that the starting point of all understanding is listening.
This transformation occurred by absorbing Dharawal Lore, which provided the words and values I had been seeking my entire life to explain what I felt. I did not ask to learn these secrets, but upon my return, I felt a deep need to ask permission to perform my music on this country. I met with the Elders, including Auntie Lorraine from Coomaditchie, and shared my story of hearing music on the mountain since childhood. Because they listened without judgment, a bridge was built, leading Dr. Jodi Edwards to suggest we collaborate to reintroduce Dharawal language and stories through music and dance.
My music now follows the pathways of nature that I first witnessed as a child. While I hear the “music” of the environment, the Dharawal people have heard it and given it words for over 50,000 years. This connection between thought, nature, and sound is what I now share. I am honored by the trust the Elders have placed in me—a trust rooted in the shared history of immigrants and Aboriginal communities in Warrawong and Port Kembla, who lived and faced discrimination together, growing strong side-by-side.
I remember when a mudslide once came down Geera and destroyed the homes of those who had been most unkind to my family. It was my parents—the very people they discriminated against—who were the first to help them. This mountain, our “Grandmother Mountain,” has always been a place of learning and protection for those who choose to listen. Today, my brother explains these mountains as a geophysicist, and I explain them through music. We must all take care of Geera, for she takes care of the little ones.
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