The Australian Institute of Disaster Resilience (AIDR) held its inaugural conference in September 2018 in Perth, as part of the annual AFAC International Conference. This conference gave Dr Moreton the opportunity to have a conversation on stage with Phil Rist – an Indigenous elder from Cardwell (Queensland). Dr Moreton first met Phil when she conducted her PhD research in 2014. Phil’s experience of Cyclone Yasi, his approach to leading the Girringun Aboriginal Corporation, his stories of how the Indigenous rangers were instrumental to the recovery process for the community, and his own leadership journey, were an inspiration to Dr Moreton. She invited Phil to join her onstage and together they explored a wide range of issues from an Indigenous perspective, including how Cyclone Yasi offered the local community of Cardwell (and surrounds) an opportunity for reconciliation and connection, as Phil’s young Indigenous rangers helped the broader community to renew the natural environment – on both land and sea. This conversation with Phil was one of Dr Moreton’s favourite experiences of this year, and she is very grateful to Phil for agreeing to participate, and to AIDR for supporting the conversation.
