Honouring First Nations Birth Stories

MBF: Firstly, we would like to say a huge thank you for helping us curate this card, we wanted to make sure it would make a significant impact and we wouldn't have been able to get to where we are without your help. Tell us a little bit about yourself and why this project was something that resonated with you.
Darinka: I’m Darinka Ondrovcik, a proud Kamilaroi woman and founder of The Awakening Journey. I create culturally grounded resources that support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and families through pregnancy, birth, and beyond. My work is about walking alongside families, honouring culture, and fostering connection, care, and safety, especially when navigating health systems.

I’m proud to partner with Miracle Babies Foundation, whose commitment to compassion, understanding, and respect for our mob aligns with my vision. My reason for getting involved is to ensure families navigating health systems feel culturally safe, understood, and supported. I want to create spaces where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families are seen, respected, and empowered, where culture, identity, and belonging are honoured, and where every parent and child feels guided, cared for, and connected throughout their journey.

MBF: Who shared their voices, stories or guidance in bringing the announcement cards to life?
Darinka: The announcement cards were shaped through the voices and lived experiences held within The Awakening Journey, guided by First Nations ways of knowing, being and doing, and informed through respectful yarns with Miracle Babies Foundation. They reflect collective wisdom from Aboriginal families, community perspectives, and frontline care experiences, ensuring the resource is grounded in authenticity, compassion, and real family journeys.

MBF: How is cultural knowledge protected within this resource?
Darinka: Cultural knowledge is protected through a strengths-based and respectful approach that honours First Nations ways of knowing, being, and doing. The resource is guided by community values, cultural integrity, and lived experience, ensuring that culture is represented with care, permission, and purpose. The focus is on connection, belonging, and shared cultural understandings, presented in a way that is safe, inclusive, and respectful for families and communities.

MBF: Why is it important for children to learn about Country and culture from a young age?
Darinka: Learning about Country and culture from an early age supports children to grow with a deep and grounded sense of identity, belonging, and pride in who they are and where they come from. It helps them understand their place within family, community, and the wider world, strengthening their connection to Country, kinship, and cultural responsibilities.

When children are nurtured in culture from the beginning, they learn to walk with respect for land, waterways, ancestors, Elders, and the stories that have been carried across generations. This connection provides a strong foundation for emotional safety, spiritual strength, and cultural resilience, particularly as they move through different stages of life.

Embedding cultural learning early supports lifelong wellbeing. It fosters confidence, self-worth, and resilience, and creates a protective layer that supports children to navigate challenges while staying connected to who they are.