“My artefact is a mogo, or hafted stone axe. I was taught the process of how to make this by my mentor Uncle Wayne. I have always been fascinated by artefacts, as there is so much story in a single item waiting to be told, but also the process of making these items is equally as important. The stone is a basalt river pebble from Yellomundee on Dyarubbin/Nepean River. I ground it for many hours, learning about patience, effort and how this contributes to the quality of final result. The grooves left in the sandstone from this process are a permanent reminder of this practice across many areas of Australia and are now part of the story of this mogo. The handle is a piece of Black Wattle, split, bent over heat and bound in roo sinew. It is all held in place by a mixture of gadi/grass tree resin, charcoal and roo poo. The process of making this mixture teaches you the importance of contribution and working harmoniously together. Whilst I will never need to use this as the Old People did the lessons learnt in this process can be applied to many areas of life.”