STORYTELLER
Clear view of history
WORDS KATE ROBERTSON
STORYTELLER
Clear view of history
WORDS KATE ROBERTSON
Bridge the gap between Sydney's past and present.
As one of the Aboriginal guides on the Burrawa Indigenous Climb Experience up and over Sydney Harbour Bridge, Shona Davidson is no stranger to the spectacular 360-degree views of the city and the water, but the thrill of the experience hasn’t left her.
‘A week ago, I saw a rainbow that went the entire way around, because of its reflection on the water. It was like a perfect circle,’ Shona says. ‘Little things like that make it even more special.’
Shona is one of six First Nations storytellers who lead guests on the Burrawa Indigenous Climb Experience, sharing facts and stories about the Aboriginal cultures, languages and history of Sydney/Warrane and surrounds with guests as they summit the world’s most famous bridge.
Shona, a Quandamooka Noonuccal woman from Stradbroke Island/Minjerribah, grew up with a solid connection to her culture due in part, to the fact her mother was a respected and loved teacher at her primary school.
First Nations storyteller, Shona Davidson.
Earn spectacular views from the top.
‘Mum made us very strong and very proud to be Indigenous, and she taught us as much as she could when she was alive. Even my uncle now still teaches us a few things, so it's quite cool.’
Shona mainly grew up on Bribie Island, and says her childhood was as idyllic as it sounds.
‘I was terrible at fishing. I lost all the fishing rods, but I did a lot of swimming, and a lot of camping. I would be swinging on a literal swing underneath a mango tree and had a lot of waterfall showers.’
It was due to the urging of her best friend that Shona moved to Sydney four years ago to become a guide with BridgeClimb Sydney, which offers guests the opportunity to climb the iconic steel arch bridge and learn about its construction as well as the history of Sydney. It was a decision that proved fortuitous two years later when, in partnership with BridgeClimb, Wesley Enoch AM developed the Burrawa Climb as part of the 2020 Sydney Festival, and Shona became its first guide with the blessing and tutelage of local Elders.
Learn about Sydney past and present during the climb.
Wesley’s aim was to give Sydneysiders and visitors another perspective of the city’s history from the harbour bridge. Burrawa means ‘above’, ‘upwards’ and ‘looking up’ in the local Gadigal language, and Wesley envisioned a bridge climb that involved Aboriginal guides bringing the landmarks to life with the original language names and tales of how the four local clans of the Eora Nation lived prior to colonisation, as well as how they were impacted by white settlement.
Hear stories of the four clans who called Sydney home.
For example, Shona explains Bennelong Point was named after Woollarawarre Bennelong, an Aboriginal man who became an interpreter for Captain Arthur Phillips and was the first Aboriginal person to make a return trip to Europe.
The success of the Burrawa Climb ensured it not only continued beyond the 2020 Sydney Festival, but has grown from Shona leading one climb a month to a total of six Aboriginal guides and 16 Burrawa climbs a month.
You can feel Shona’s passion for her climb leader role, as she details Australia's history, including some of the first attempts at reconciliation and the key players in the early days of settlement, both Aboriginal and white.
‘I get to teach culture and history from when it started 65,000 years ago here in Sydney, and then what happened in 1788. It opens up a lot of people's eyes and minds,’ Shona says.
‘You can just see the expressions on people's faces when they hear a story… They just go, "What? Wow!”’
Bridge the gap between Sydney's past and present.
‘Sometimes people think that they know a lot of the stories, but then they hear something new. Occasionally I get people who live in Kirribilli, and you can go on a long story about Kirribilli, and how it means good fishing spot, and then there's deep stories to connect with the Cammeraygal people from over there.'
Safety is a top priority with climbers' harnesses clipped onto the handrail.
A born storyteller, Shona’s gift adds another level to the already incredible experience of climbing the bridge and seeing the harbour from 134 metres above the water. (For those worried about the height, there is a simulator to practice climbing the vertical steel ladders before you get out onto the bridge itself and climbers are clipped onto the handrail via a safety harness.)
‘I think it's really special to hear these stories so when you do the climb you see it from a different perspective. It really opens up people's eyes,’ Shona says.
‘I love it. It's so exciting. Every country has a terrible history, but there's also beauty in it, and so you tell the truth, but then you follow it up with a nice story. You can't hide from the past, and the more we talk about it, the more people will learn from it.’
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