Palm Profile

What is your name?

My name is Lynore Karen Geia.

Where are you from?

I was born on Palm Island in 1959, the sixth child of ten children. My father was Thomas Joseph Geia who was born on Palm Island and my mother is Betty Geia who was sent to Palm Island as a little girl with her mother. My parents met, married and raised their family on Palm Island.

Where do you live?

I live in Townsville at present and travel to Palm Island regularly because that is my home. My time in Townsville is to further my education and my children’s education. I am a sole parent raising 3 beautiful boys, Daniel (son), Raymond (nephew) and Khalu (great nephew in Migloo way but we Murris say he is my grandson). Although we are living in Townsville, Palm Island is our home.

Of your achievements, what are you most proud of?

I guess my greatest achievement is raising my boys with a vision to see them well grounded in their Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island identity and secure in their emotional and spiritual life to easily walk in the culture of white Australia and their own culture.

I have other academic achievements of being awarded a Bachelor of Nursing, Masters in Public Health & Tropical Medicine, and I am currently completing a PhD Degree in Nursing. My academic qualifications are important because they allow me to move in circles that others may not have the opportunity to do so. But my greatest achievement is parenting solo because I am building in the life of my children, so they can build in their children and so on and so on.

Do you have any memorable setbacks that you overcame?

I have had many setbacks in my life but retrospectively I don’t see them as setbacks, because they never sent me in a backward spiral in my life. Those setbacks were extremely difficult times in my life and caused me to slow down or stop sometimes to get things in perspective; but I moved forward after a time. It was those hard times that shaped my character and strengthened me for the work I now do and I believe for future work amongst my people and in the wider Australian community.

If you have one philosophy on life, what would it be?

I have a very strong Christian faith and as I have grown as a Christian woman, there is one thing I have learnt and now endeavor to practice on a daily basis. That is to place my life daily in the hands of my Savior Jesus Christ. This includes surrendering my hopes, dreams and plans to His will for my life. Don’t worry about tomorrow because there is enough in the present day to be concerned for. Worry does not add to life, it takes away from life.

What are your thoughts on the future of Palm Island and its children and youth?

I believe with all my heart that Palm Island has a wonderful future ahead of us. And that we as Palm Islanders are more than able to build a future together in unity for our children and their children. I believe the youth of Palm Island are the leaders of tomorrow and it is up to us now to build into the life of the youth. It is absolutely possible for Palm Island to have a future that will astonish the rest of Australia. We need to walk forward in strength and unity as Bwgcolman people. There is strength in the Bwgcolman people that needs to be built upon and not looking at the deficits all the time. Bwgcolman people are resilient and will continue to move forward with good leadership.

If there's one message you would send to all Australians, what would it be and why?

Reconciliation between white Australia and black Australia begins at the personal level of relationship with each other, and then it becomes bigger as more relationships are built on understanding each other through our past in our walk towards the future. I would ask the question to white Australia – how many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people have you invited into your life? And conversely I would ask black Australia – how many white people have you invited into your life?

I say this because I believe reconciliation and all that comes with it is based on relationships. Political goodwill on both sides will not be successful until successful relationships are built by both.