Sunday 15 October 2023 will go down in triple j and radio history. The day after the Referendum for the Voice to Parliament failed, Blak Out's Nooky took to the mic with an empowering speech for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people everywhere.
Below is the full transcript of Nooky's speech, broadcast at the top of Sunday evening's episode of Blak Out.
Walawaani, I'm Nooky. I'm a proud Yuin man born and raised in Nowra, and this is Blak Out on triple j.
October 14 was a moment in history where a dark cloud will forever cast a shadow. I feel like I let down my elders. I feel like I let down the future generations.
Last night was the most overt, unconcealed manifestation of racism I have ever experienced in my whole life.
Yesterday they said our pain and our suffering continues. The disadvantage and the inequality continues. But so does our love, our happiness, our strength and our pride.
Last night amongst the torment, I found solace when I sat down with my eldest daughter, Olivia. You see, it's our kids who we need to be there for right now, but it's them who hold the power, the power to heal and the power to bring change.
When I look at them, I see the hope that hasn't died. And in this moment, I'm broken but I'm not defeated. And regardless of yesterday's outcome there was work to do. It's just now clear of how much work there is to do.
I've seen the word defeat thrown around a lot this morning. I rang my nan Colleen back home in Nowra and I was ashamed. But nan was still nan. She was yarning away and laughing and told me to keep going on. Hearing my nan hold herself in such composure in this moment, I did not feel defeat.
You see, defeat is when we stop having joy and stop having hope. That's when we stop loving and caring for ourselves and this land of ours. It's when we stop being strong and proud of who we are. We all know this would never happen, so we could never lose. We haven't lost a thing.
We all knew what the outcome was gunna be, we all know the reality that we live in. It's just now more apparent.
We aren't licking our wounds today, we are sharpening our spears. The colour of our skin? That's our pride and joy. And they could never change the river of our souls.
Our people are the most caring, welcoming, loving, generous, strong and resilient people. And in the darkness, we hold the light — we always have. We are the oldest culture on Earth. And we have survived the white man's world.
We did not give up this land, and the planting of the Union Jack never changed our lore out all. And it's that message of hope and survival you're gunna hear for the next hour, and trust it isn't a mistake. We're gunna repeat this message until it rings true.
We will not sit in silence. They will hear us as we rejoice as a people and light our sacred fire in the face of their broken promises.
Treaty now.
What followed was a full hour of that message on repeat through the seminal works of Yothu Yindi's 1991 protest track, 'Treaty'.