Welcome and Opening Remarks

RubyConf AU 2020

by Caitlin Palmer-Bright and Melissa Kaulfuss

The video titled "Welcome and Opening Remarks" featuring Caitlin Palmer-Bright and Melissa Kaulfuss serves as the introductory session for RubyConf AU 2020. In this engaging opening, Caitlin and Mel welcome attendees and outline the structure of the event while also fostering a sense of community through an acknowledgement of country. Key points include:

Acknowledgement of Country: Ron Murray from Wamba Wamba shares a heartfelt personal story and an acknowledgment of the Indigenous peoples and their connection to the land. This emphasizes the cultural significance of the gathering and the importance of preserving knowledge across generations.
Community and Heritage: Ron speaks on the vital connection Indigenous communities have to their history and knowledge, likening it to an encyclopedia lost when elders pass away. He reflects on over a hundred thousand years of history and traditions being passed down.
Storytelling: An engaging story about sharing and respect from Indigenous culture is shared, demonstrating the values of community, connection, and the consequences of greed through a tale about the fishing practices of local Indigenous folk.
Event Logistics: The hosts brief the audience on essential housekeeping details, including seating, restroom locations, coffee availability, dietary options at lunch, security with lanyards, and a code of conduct aimed at ensuring a respectful environment.
Sponsors and Support: The video also highlights appreciation for various sponsors that facilitated the event, reinforcing the collaborative spirit of RubyConf. This includes rubies-level, sapphires-level, and opal sponsors, along with ongoing engagement opportunities through raffles and games.

The session concludes with a renewed sense of energy injected into the audience, inviting the first speaker to the stage. This opening serves not only to initiate the conference but to invoke a spirit of sharing, respect for the land's history, and community building among attendees.

00:00:03.500 Hey everybody, good morning! I know it's still early and you're not quite awake yet, but that's okay—we'll fix that. This space is quite cavernous; it's echoey, but that's rare, and I'm not complaining. My name is Caitlin, and this is Mel. We are going to be your MCs for the next two days. It's going to be good!

00:00:35.690 Before we kick off, we are going to have an acknowledgement of country, and I'd like us to welcome Ron Murray from Wamba Wamba to the stage to do that. Thank you. My name is Ron Murray, and I'm Wamba Wamba on my dad's side. My dad was Aboriginal Scottish—exactly half African and half Scottish. He married my mum, who is similarly half Aboriginal and half Irish. I've had some amazing dreams from all that, and I was lucky to grow up in New South Wales on a 250,000-acre station with a big lake at the back. We would jump off the veranda, run through hot white sand, and jump into this beautiful lake, which is one of the oldest lakes in Australia called Lake Yang. A lot of people know of Lake Mungo, but it has no water, whereas Lake Yang has water.

00:01:26.690 About 12 years ago, the station became a park and is now known as Lake Yang National Park, where my dad worked for 58 years. He didn't drink or smoke. Mum and I had six sisters, and no brothers, so I was lucky to grow up with my culture. My grandfather lived there as well; he was an amazing bushman, same as my dad. We had 90,000 acres of red gum forests along the Murrumbidgee River—a paradise. I’ve been asked to do an acknowledgement of country in this beautiful place. I don’t know if you know how special it is to be here.

00:02:09.990 In 2001, a friend of mine, Mark Atkins, who is one of the best didgeridoo players in the world, and I got to play a piece of music with an organ that had been refurbished for two million dollars. They got Philip Glass from New York to write that music, and we performed it here. Six weeks later, we found ourselves in New York at the Lincoln Center doing the same piece of music. It has a stunning four-movement format and tells the creation story of Melbourne, Victoria. I loved being a part of that. We did it again in 2005, just two weeks after the performance in New York. Then, of course, the world changed significantly with events like 9/11.

00:04:01.280 I love coming here and feel honored to be a part of this event. I wish to acknowledge the Wurundjeri people and the Wamba Wamba people, and I want to acknowledge all the elders that have passed away. I genuinely mean that. We have elders in our community who, once they pass, it feels like losing our encyclopedias—they carry so much knowledge. We also have elders in the community here today. You might not be many, but you're going to be elders one day, and what you are doing with your knowledge and experiences with technology will extend into the future. I want you to take a moment and think about your role in that.

00:04:59.000 If you think about our knowledge, it’s immensely old. There are over a hundred thousand years of history in Australia, which is remarkable. For example, a site found in Wanderbar near Henty holds artifacts that are around 120,000 years old. Our knowledge and traditions are passed down through generations, directly from one elder to the youth. But if a tribe dies out from diseases, it is like losing a whole network of knowledge. Please, take a moment now.

00:08:35.210 So, we've chased all the bad spirits out and allowed the good spirits in. I want to share a little story. Sometimes I find inspiration from the audience's energy, and lately, there have been so many challenges, particularly with the bushfires. One story is about my little nan—she was about this tall and quite chubby. When she told stories, all the kids would gather around her, much like how we gather around TVs or computers today. She was the storyteller, the weaver of tales, always leaving us fascinated yet a bit scared with her stories of monsters, especially tales from the Murray River where scary creatures lurked. This instilled a protective fear; we even needed pool fences by the rivers.

00:09:54.740 Let me tell you a shorter version of a tale from Gippsland involving the people there. In the little town of Meatung, there is a sacred rock by the wharf, respected by the local Indigenous folk. They believed that when the moon reflected in the lake, it was a sign that it was swimming and using the rock. The women were also remarkable basket weavers, catching big fish in lakes using nets they crafted. The men would take canoes out at night with fires to attract the fish. One night, they caught so many fish they nearly sunk!

00:11:06.160 As daybreak came, the men returned to the shore with their canoes—overloaded with fish. The women cheered as they quickly ran up a hill and lit a celebratory fire. However, they were so absorbed in the harvest that they forgot to feed the dingoes, who had been their hunting companions. When the fish were all gone, the big white dingo, the leader of the pack, stood up and began to speak, reminding everyone of the bond formed by sharing. He transformed the greedy dinner party into a big red rock—a warning: if you don't share, you might end up like that rock.

00:12:10.250 So even today, parents tell their children to share, warning them that the rock's fate could be theirs. Thank you!

00:14:32.000 Thank you so much. Are we a little more awake now? Welcome to RubyConf Australia 2020! That's more like it! You need to give us energy; we feed off you guys—this is our eighth RubyConf Australia, first held in 2013. I know it's only my second time here, but I love it—quality over quantity, right? We have some amazing speakers lined up for you over these next few days, and we want to get into them as quickly as possible, but first, we have a little housekeeping.

00:15:04.000 What do we start with? Everybody who's standing, there's plenty of seats. There are individual seats available throughout the room. So make yourselves comfortable. Also, be aware that there are male and female toilets just through the lobby on your right. You’ll also find coffee carts in the lobby, including one in the back. Our coffee cart has been sponsored by Up, who is providing fantastic mugs to reduce disposable cup use.

00:15:43.760 If you leave your cup on your table during the day, the staff won't clean it up, so feel free to leave it and come back to it. If you have remnants of coffee, remember that we want to stay eco-friendly! Moving on, our t-shirts are print-on-demand. You can find our booth in the foyer, available until 1:30 PM each day, but come by anytime during the day.

00:16:07.540 Lunch will be served in here, and there will be tables for dietary requirements as well as a separate table for vegetarian options. If you can’t find what you need or have dietary concerns, please speak to a staff member. In all emergencies or if you need first aid, the same goes. Myself, Mel, and our wonderful team of volunteers here in grey shirts will be available and ready to help.

00:16:41.220 We're thankful for Ruby Australia for doing all the hard work necessary to procure funds for events like this to happen. We couldn't have run this event without our sponsors. This year we have Emerald-level sponsors like Photo, Culture Amp, Twilio, and Up. Each sponsor has a booth, so please visit them, and we also have raffles and games like Mario Kart available.

00:17:21.300 Additionally, we have sapphire sponsors like Buildkite, and opal sponsors like Look Ahead and Tri Centers Flood. We extend our gratitude towards sponsors such as Err, Tosca, and Faster Ruby for enabling some of our speakers to attend this year.

00:18:17.600 As part of every Ruby Australia event, we have a code of conduct to ensure everyone feels safe and respected. Make sure to read through it if you are unfamiliar with the contents. It generally outlines the importance of kindness and respect towards each other. If you feel uncomfortable, you can report any issues anonymously through the contact number displayed on your lanyard; it's important to have a supportive environment here.

00:20:03.600 Speaking of lanyards, please keep track of them, as they are important for entry not just today, but also for tomorrow night's closing party. Our security is tight, and entrance is not allowed without your lanyard. Your lanyard contains important information about daily schedules, breaks, and talks. With that said, let's get kicked off and invite our first speaker up on stage!

RubyConf AU 2020