11/07/2026
My late Aunty Beryl & her significant contribution to the historical truth telling of Bondi. Aunty Beryl Timbery-Beller was a highly respected Dharawal and Gweagal Elder from the La Perouse Aboriginal community who played a pivotal role in preserving the First Nations history of Bondi and the broader southern Sydney region. [1, 2, 3]
Her connection to Bondi is deeply tied to the preservation of cultural knowledge, language, and sacred sites:[1, 2, 3]
* Bondi Dreaming and Rock Carvings: Aunty Beryl shared and documented the ancient Dreaming stories connected to the famous Aboriginal rock engravings at Ben Buckler Point in North Bondi. These engravings feature sacred figures like the humpback whale (buriburi) and a turtle, symbolising the coastal Sydney people’s deep spiritual connection to ocean life. [1]
* Language Revitalisation: She was one of five senior matriarchs who volunteered extensively in the 1980s and 1990s to document, save, and pass on the endangered Dharawal language. Her work forms the baseline for current cultural projects across Sydney, including the Bondi Pavilion digital screen language initiatives. [1, 2]
* Historical Documentation: She co-authored and guided seminal cultural texts such as Dharawal: The Story of the Dharawal Speaking People of Southern Sydney, helping ensure that local Councils (including Waverley Council, which manages Bondi) correctly preserve and acknowledge Indigenous heritage. [1, 2] Truthfulness in yoga is called Satya. Satya means to be honest & true in your thoughts, words & actions. It ask you to see & speak things as they really are, not how you want them to be.
