Menessia Henry Nagie
Footsteps With Words is a creation by Menessia Nagie. As an avid walker, social worker, former rugby player, poet, cultural advisor, facilitator, youth mentor, advocate, speaker I wanted to share my experience as both an Australian South Islander and Australian Aboriginal (Gubb-Gubbi) man and collaborate with people who value diversity, importance of culture, friendship and human resilience.
Here is a brief story of my life journey….footsteps in words…
I was born in Mackay North Queensland but grew up in Sarina, a small country sugar town south of Mackay, before moving to Rockhampton in Central Queensland in December at the age of 11. I went to Crescent Lagoon Primary School for year seven where my greatest achievement was winning the Hector Hogan Cup for Crescent Lagoon at the inter-school sports carnival, a 75-yard blue ribbon sprint event.
When the senior and junior rugby union competitions began many of my friends and I joined and eventually switched football codes from rugby league to rugby union. Rugby Union offered so much more and it was there that many great and everlasting influences touched my life. The rugby competitions were started by professional men from many disciplines which included, doctors, lawyers, judges, businessmen, graziers, educators etc. These men who were highly credentialed were ex-Australian Wallabies and Queensland representatives who played their rugby at university and not knowing it at the time, but these particular influences were to guide my direction many years in the future, however, I had to walk another journey before those early influences once again crossed my path.
In 1976 as a twenty-year-old young man a devastating major car accident turned my whole life upside down and from 1977 to 2001 I walked a 24-year journey of alcoholism, drug addiction, homelessness and mental illness. On 30 June 2001 if it were not for the timely intervention of my nephew, my life would have ended with my eventual suicide.
In 2003, I moved to Brisbane to be taken under the wing of an Elder, Aunty Betty, a Gungarri Elder and she proceeded to wrap essential services around me, but most importantly was the care, support and great belief she had in me, she saw in me a life worth saving. In late 2003 Aunty Betty insisted that I seek qualifications that were necessary for working with our people, she said that I need a university education.
I stared my full-time university education in January 2004 at 48 years of age at the QUT, an unfamiliar journey in my life and at times it was quite difficult, especially after my mother passed away in July 2005. I felt like giving up, but I persevered with the great support of Aunty Betty and the staff and students at the Oodgeroo Unit at the QUT Carseldine Campus. I graduated in July 2010 with a Bachelor of Arts / Bachelor of Social Science (Human Services) double degree at 54 years of age.
When I look back through time, back to 1969, I recognise and acknowledge the influences of these scholarly men who took time out of their busy lives to impart their vast knowledge, skills, experience and expertise of a game they loved dearly, but in essence, for me, it was much more than that, it was the fact that these men were highly educated, influential, professional and approachable men and that is what I admired and respected the most.
My life forward now is what I make of it and those influences are still present and will continue to walk with me throughout the rest of my life’s journey.
