"In my role as Director of the Yugambeh Language Museum, we partnered with Dreamworld on one of Australia’s largest innovative and celebratory indigenous culture projects, 'Dreamworld Corroboree'.

Throughout this project's development, I liaised with design and production company Earthstory and its co-founders, Dan Harvey and Dene Waring, whom I have since come to know well. I have had occasion to engage them several times since then for a variety of design and communication projects ranging from our Mobo Festival promotional material through to our 'Bunyip Theatre' learning environment. From the outset, Dan and Dene's approach has been one of respect, a demonstrable desire to learn and a tireless tenacity to 'get it right' in communicating cultural nuances. Their delivery of the projects showed sensitivity and creativity, bringing our stories alive via a range of techniques and technologies. Their innovative movie production of "Creation of the Gold Coast" has placed our Yugambeh creation story front and centre of the Corroboree theatre experience, and has gone on to win national and international awards.

Overall, Dreamworld Corroboree was also recognised by winning the Queensland Premiers Reconciliation Award - being a significant achievement - and is held up as an inspirational example of what is possible.

Dene and Dan addressed sensitive issues with the right balance of frankness and discretion, while also ably imparting a strong sense of celebration and dignity to indigenous cultural, ceremonial and social subjects. The Corroboree development process in particular required Earthstory to consult with many mobs and individuals, and they have always handled these interactions with respect and honesty.

I recommend their services to any cultural project requiring world-class levels of research, writing, design, scripting, and production."

Rory O’Connor DIRECTOR | YUGAMBEH MUSEUM | QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA

"Earthstory...went above and beyond to sit with and share from our people...

Ngaandu-ga Gimubi-li Yalagiirrma (To Whom It May Concern…)

As project manager for the Kamilaroi precinct within the Dreamworld Corroboree Visitor experience I spent a considerable period of time working with both Dene Waring and Daniel Harvey of Earthstory. The project was awarded the Premier’s Reconciliation Award.

Dene and Daniel’s role was to develop the visitor experience in collaboration with the various Aboriginal language and clan groups involved. The greatest asset both men contributed to the success of the project - beyond their highly advanced technical and project management skills - was in demonstrating respect and admiration for all the Aboriginal groups represented. These men were not only great listeners, but they embraced the uniqueness of our culture never assuming they “knew best” and consulting at every level of production from concept to finish.

It was obvious from the beginning that both men had a driving passion to utilise the project as an opportunity to learn and embrace the knowledge passed down from elders and those involved in realising our collective stories throughout the project. They both went above and beyond to sit with and share from our people, whether as traditional owner groups advising on protocols or in sitting with individual artists, carvers, dancers and storytellers - all were shown respect and admiration.

I have to say that it has been all to rare in my own experience in dealing with non- Indigenous project managers to witness the respect, awareness and humble approach these two men displayed in working with our people. The biggest difference was that they established a partnership approach, and realised as much as they had to offer, this was also an opportunity to gain knowledge and better understand the history of this country from our own Aboriginal perspective.

Both men are visual storytellers who remain humble yet assertive in sharing their understanding and expertise, and are happy to transfer the knowledge they bring to the partnership in such away they leave not only the physical construction and project, but also there is an intellectual exchange of ideas and cultural identity that made each and everyone associated to the project much richer for the experience.

I consider both Dene Waring and Daniel Harvey as friends, students and contemporaries and only wish that more non-Indigenous peoples embraced the same sense of partnership as these men demonstrated in working with our communities.

Gabiinyiindah nginunda (Thanking you...)"

Dr Marcus Woolombi Waters LECTURER, COURSE CONVENOR, SCREEN STUDIES | KAMILAROI FIRST NATION AUSTRALIAN PEOPLES | SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES | GRIFFITH UNIVERSITY | QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA