Castlemaine teenager Grace Coff pens book on connection to her Aboriginal culture and the water

These ties, and her strong affinity to water, have inspired a new short book penned by the 14-year-old Castlemaine Secondary College student, titled My Culture, The Beach and Me.

The book describes how the ocean makes her feel at ease, and her belief that this might be because of her Yorta Yorta heritage, with her people having lived along the Murray River.

“I’ve always loved the ocean; it’s something that’s just always affected me,” Grace said.

Grace also talks about how proud she is of her Aboriginality and, having a lighter complexion, how it hurts when that is questioned.

“But I want to believe that what really matters is that my culture is in my heart,” she writes.

“It doesn’t matter if you look Aboriginal. It only matters if you feel Aboriginal.”

Grace told the Bendigo Advertiser she hoped the book would give other young, fair-skinned Aboriginal people something they could relate to.

The book also talks about Grace’s respect for her teachings from her elders and her belief that her totem is the seal.

She said when she was young, her aunty told her a teaching about seals who came to land and became people, but could not wander far from the water; a story that resonated with her.

Grace’s book started out as a school writing exercise, but will now go into some local school libraries and up for sale in select locations, including Castlemaine District Community Health.