Isaac Cotter OAM
Queanbeyan's Isaac Cotter has been awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the 2024 Australia Day Honours
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00:00 I was coming over to Australia for a three week holiday to see my brother.
00:05 And after the first week he said, "Oh, you want to make a bit of pocket money, come work on the Gugon Dam."
00:10 And I said, "OK."
00:12 After my first week, I got $480 in my pay.
00:18 And when I was back in New Zealand on the farm, it was $40 a week.
00:23 And I thought they made a big mistake with my wages.
00:26 And if you work a Saturday, you get an extra $150. And I thought, "Why? I'm going to stay here."
00:33 So one thing led to another, and 48 years later, three children, two grandchildren, my wife and I are still here in Queensland.
00:42 It's a massive honour to receive an award like this.
00:46 Yes, I am receiving it, but it's a combination of what we call whÄnau, hapÅ«, iwi, which is family, extended family, and your tribal affiliations.
00:56 And so in this case, it's the community and also the group that I've started and my family.
01:03 Our kapa haka group, our MÄori performing arts group, is called TÅ«manako.
01:07 TÅ«manako means hope, and it was established back in 2004 to help people connect to their culture and through the performing arts.
01:17 I've got a lot to me because I've grown up here most of my life.
01:21 I love it here in Australia, and I love it in Aotearoa, New Zealand.
01:24 And I have the pleasure and honour to be able to go backwards and forwards through my culture and to catch up with family.
01:32 One of my sons is in Brisbane being an apprentice.
01:36 My wife and I are still here.
01:39 My other son's in the New Zealand Navy, and my daughter's living in our family home in Gisborne on the east coast off the North Island.
01:45 And our two granddaughters are with her.
01:48 [BLANK_AUDIO]