Shifting sands: Indigenous conceptions of health and place in fragile times

Abstract

Place and health are deeply interconnected for Indigenous people, and place-based services have been established to better meet people's needs. The meaning of place, however, remains difficult to define, an issue compounded by non-Indigenous settler attempts to erase people's association with place. This paper argues that we must understand place as something more than a geographical locality, and consider the histories, experiences and feelings that connect people to place in the south coast of New South Wales (NSW), Australia. The paper focuses on the role of Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs) as place-based entities which deliver a range of health and social services to local Aboriginal communities across Australia. This study was undertaken during a period of crisis when places and people's capacity to remain connected to them was perilous due to the 2019/20 bushfires, named in the media as the Black Summer Bushfires. The experience of living through this disastrous period elevated the importance of ACCOs and their unique and deep engagement with the communities they serve.