Annabelle White [00:00:04] Hello and welcome to the Coaching and Officiating podcast series. My name is Annabelle White. I am joining you from Eora Country, and I am the Coaching Advisor for Coaching and Officiating at the Australian Sports Commission. Over this series, we will look at what it takes to modernise Australia's coaching and officiating system. Each podcast we will be joined by a special guest or guests who will share experiences and practical tips on their topic.

Today we will be discussing how we as coaches can support positive relationships with body image amongst participants in community sport. Much of these learnings will be relevant to coaches regardless of the gender of your participants. We will be discussing positive body image strategies for giving technical feedback, language and what a coach's role is in creating positive body image environments. Today's topic can be sensitive for many people. If now is not a good time for you to hear this, please feel free to come back at another time that is more suitable to you. If you need support, the Butterfly National helpline is available and we will link the details in the show notes.

We are lucky today to welcome Nikki Jeacocke and Danni Rowlands to the podcast. Nikki is a Senior Sports Dietician at the AIS (Australian Institute of Sport), [an] accredited practising Dietician and credentialed Eating Disorder Clinician. She has worked with a range of athletes, from pathways to senior elite across many Olympic and professional sports, and is the AIS National Disordered Eating Initiative Lead. Nikki is a mum to three wonderful kids and is in her kid sport era.

Danni is Head of Prevention at the Butterfly Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation that represents all people affected by eating disorders and negative body image issues. She is motivated by identifying gaps and developing innovative universal prevention programs and initiatives in a range of environments. In her personal life, Danni also coaches netball at her local club in Melbourne,

To support coaches working with women and girls in community sport the Australian Sports Commission is developing a series of resources to support coaches to enhance their practice. Danni and Nikki, we are thrilled to welcome two individuals to the podcast who both have such a wealth of experience, both personal and professional. Thank you for coming along.

Danni Rowlands [00:02:06] Thanks so much for having us, I'm joining from Wurundjeri country.

Nikki Jeacocke [00:02:10] Yeah, thanks so much, Annabelle, I'm coming from Ngunnawal country.

Annabelle White [00:02:15] Thank you. Danni, what is body image?

Danni Rowlands [00:02:18] That’s a good question. I'm going to keep it simple as possible for obviously, your audience. But but body image is the thoughts, feelings and attitudes that a person holds about their body or their appearance or more broadly, their physical self. And obviously the thoughts, feelings and attitudes then really affect the behaviours that a person, will engage in in relation to eating, physical activity and also obviously how they feel about themselves as a whole.

Annabelle White [00:02:46] Why is it important that we have a positive relationship with body image?

Danni Rowlands [00:02:51] Well, every person lives in a body, and therefore every person has a relationship with that body. And it's really at the core and foundation of an individual. It's obviously not the whole individual, but it certainly plays a significant role. So the reason we want to support positive body image, in all people, but particularly in children and young people, is because that sets the foundation for how they engage in their life, how they participate in their sports, how they interact in their relationships and friendships. So we know that having a positive relationship with their body actually really sets them up to have really positive and, thriving experiences in school, study and also sport.

Annabelle White [00:03:31] Absolutely. So Nikki, listening to Danni, then, when you think about your work in your professional role, what has been the impact you have seen when positive body image has been prioritised?

Nikki Jeacocke [00:03:44] I think what I've seen is, is that body image, is, forms a small piece of a bigger puzzle. So when body image is prioritised, I see environments where, all athletes and participants of all body sizes and shapes, but but broader than that around diversity and inclusion for all people, well, being welcoming to sport. So when positive body image is prioritised I see this is a big piece, a piece of the puzzle around, creating supportive environments where everyone is welcoming and everyone's encouraged to thrive.

Annabelle White [00:04:21] Thank you. And further to that, what has been the impact when positive body image maybe hasn't been prioritised or even compromised?

Nikki Jeacocke [00:04:31] Yeah, I think the flick has been the same, which is we then say it potentially is a place where the environment isn't inclusive for all. So, I see impacts on health and performance both ways, both in the positive and the negative. So when positive body image is prioritised, we're providing environments and creating opportunities for our participants to, have fun, enjoy their sport and participate to their best capacity, without it being impacting health, and health, and also performance.

Annabelle White [00:05:03] Nikki, you're a parent to three children. They participate in AFL, cricket and also dance. How do you, role model positive body image?

Nikki Jeacocke [00:05:12] Parents have such an important role in modelling positive body image for their kids. So, I take this role quite seriously, both because it's my profession, but also, you know, aware the impact that that I can have on my kids. So there's three key ways that I do it. The first one is around language. So how I speak about my body, how I speak about my kids bodies, but also how I speak about other children on other people's body. So I'm very aware of the language I use on all three of those facets. I try really hard to create an environment. And this is both my husband and I that work really hard to try and create an environment at home for our kids where we have conversations. We are aware that that we can control. And I do that with, you know, a quote unquote, but but we have impact of what the kids hear and see in our house, but not necessarily what goes on outside it. So we are very conscious about creating an environment where the kids feel comfortable to come home and talk about things they might have heard, things they might have written, a book, you know, heard from kids at school or been learning at at school. Even the movies I watch, you know, there are messages about bodies that are out there, and we can do our best to minimise the negative messages that kids are getting. But let's be honest, diet culture is everywhere in our society, so it is hard to shield them from everything. And I'm aware that it's not my job to shield them from everything, but create an environment where we're really comfortable to talk about things. And so, you know, often it's at the dinner table or driving the car where the kids will bring up things that they've heard or read or seen, and we'll have a conversation around, you know, whatever it is that they might have heard. And if it's problematic, why that might be the case. And what could what could have been said differently or, you know, it depends on the example. So that's the second way. And the other way is that I do try and help the kids build skills. So I'm trying to create three resilient kids that as I said, I can't control everything that they hear and say and read. So when they are exposed to messaging that maybe is problematic and not as ideal, how do they filter that? How do they identify first and foremost, probably that it's problematic, and then how are they working themselves? They can of course, come to to me, my husband and use us as, as, resources, but also trying to teach them that resilience themselves of dealing with that messaging and, yeah, how they can be, be resilient in the world that we live in.

Danni Rowlands [00:07:50] I guess further further to that because they're all fantastic, actually examples and things. I think when you're working in this space, you are aware of the things that can be helpful. Doesn't mean we’re gunna nail it every time. I think that's a really important part. So even though I've been working in this space for the majority of my career, for my life as well. But, I think things that I really try to do is that ensure that my kids know that their appearance, their body, is the least important thing about them, that that's not the thing that I value the most. And it's also the same thing with myself that that my appearance in my body is the least important and the least interesting thing about me and what I do in the world. I also really try to model positive relationship with, with movement and also eating. So, there's not diets happening in our household. I don't talk about we're eating this because we need to be healthy. I'm going for, you know, I'm going for a walk because we've got a party coming up, or whatever it might be. But also that, I guess to Nikki's point, we can't control what happens outside in the world. And we've had experiences in our house where my kids have had people make comments about their body or their appearance. And I guess how we we, I manage that, is one I try not to be reactive with them, and that their body is not the problem, it's the comments or it’s the society's way of looking at bodies that that is, but also letting our kids sit with some of that discomfort. So I've got a pre-teen and I've got a child that's just starting to move through puberty. So trying to be as supportive in that, that process as possible and open about it, but also embracing that change with with my kids too.

Annabelle White [00:09:33] Thank you both for sharing. Do you think, Danni, that there's any of these strategies that coaches can maybe employ?

Danni Rowlands [00:09:41] All of these strategies, the coaches that we can, that coaches can employ at every level. But I guess from that, community level, I think we want to make sure that we're not just saying the people that we're coaching as potential athletes or Olympians or, you know, playing for national teams or whatever it might be, that we're actually seeing them as whole people and coaches play such an important role in being a role model, particularly in early early teen years, where children start to look outside their home for positive role models in their lives. So actually having similar messages where their body is the least important thing about them that they're looking at, at, at them as a whole individual. Role modelling through language as Nicki really beautifully articulated. And as well as just what they're celebrating in, the the, the young people that they're working with is really critical as well.

Annabelle White [00:10:35] Nikki a positive relationship with food and body image go hand in hand. What role if, anything do coaches have in supporting participants in understanding what and when they should eat and drink?

Nikki Jeacocke [00:10:47] Yeah, you're absolutely right, Annabelle. That food and body image do go hand in hand, but we want to be careful that we don't overstate coaches role and the role they have to play in supporting their participants around nutrition. So, if, unless the coach is a trained nutrition professional I think the easy answer here is they don't need to be making any comments on on what their participants are eating. In saying that as a trained dietician, if I was coaching a group, I would still not be commenting on what they're eating, because what I'm seeing of my participants is a small snapshot in their overall day, etc. etc. So even trained professionals probably wouldn't be commenting. So I think the easy answer is, you know, really minimal role here. The role that coaches do have to play though is in providing opportunities. And I'm going to give an example around fluid here. So coaches will, it's a very common part of coaching that they will, coaches provide a drinks break for their participants. And so an example I might give you if it's a 40 degree day and you know you're training outside and a coach is used to normally giving one drinks break in an hour session, they might switch that up and give 2 or 3 drinks break. So drink opportunities because it is a hotter day. So the coach's role is in providing opportunities definitely, but what the participant drinks and how much is on the participant and their parents.

Annabelle White [00:12:21] What should a coach do if participant comes to them with questions around diet and nutrition?

Nikki Jeacocke [00:12:27] I think the coaches get to have a pass and I get to say, look, this isn't my area of expertise. And what I would be recommending coaches do is refer to, refer the parent or if it's a participant asking, you know, but talking to the parent as well around how could you access some trained nutrition advice. So whether it's going through Dieticians Australia to access a dietitian or sports Dietitians Australia, or if you wanting some specific sports nutrition advice heading to to either of those websites, you know there are a fine sports dietician on on the the websites and you can then find someone in your local area.

Annabelle White [00:13:04] Nikki, what's the relationship between body image and an eating disorder?

Nikki Jeacocke [00:13:09] Well as Danni mentioned, body image [is] being the thoughts and feelings that someone has around their body, and it's then the behaviours that someone engage in as a result of those thoughts and feelings. So when someone has, body image dissatisfaction or persistent negative thoughts and feelings about their body, this can lead them to then engage in unhelpful behaviours, particularly disordered eating, which then places them at a heightened risk for developing an eating disorder.

Annabelle White [00:13:37] So why is it important for coaches and community sport to be aware of the relationship between the two?

Nikki Jeacocke [00:13:42] I think there's a twofold reason and the role of community coaches here. So prevention and the environment that that the coaches are creating play an important role, and early identification as well. So if they are noticing some signs or symptoms or some concerning behaviour in one of their participants, coaches knowing who to go to because it is most certainly not their job to diagnose. So how can they have a conversation with the parent potentially to express what they've seen? But feeling really comfortable that they are able to refer on.

Annabelle White [00:14:20] Danni, I'll come to you. Nicki spoke then about some concerning behaviours that might be, that they may identify in their work as a coach in one of their participants. How can coaches identify some behaviours that may be deemed as concerning?

Danni Rowlands [00:14:37] The best thing coaches can do is really be across what the warning signs are and understand what what it looks like, just generally because eating disorders don't discriminate, disordered eating doesn't discriminate, like doesn't discriminate as well. So it's important to perhaps identify that maybe athletes that are at a higher risk, just pure, purely because of the nature that involves nutrition and eating and training in a different way. But what we do know is that by understanding what those warning signs are and knowing what they're kind of looking out for, then that can really help. So, I know that the AIS has some wonderful resources that coaches can access and that information on the Butterfly Foundation website also to give that that information. So if we are noticing that perhaps an athlete or a participant, young person is doing more and training more, that we're not looking at that and just over celebrating that, that we're actually got the lens of, oh, I hope this this young person is okay. Has there been any criticism about their body shape or their size? Are they going through puberty and how are they managing that? Do they seem to be comfortable in their body during this experience, or do they seem to be be not? So if we start to see maybe some early signs of body dissatisfaction, that's when we really need to jump on on it as a coach, that's not to try to fix it ourselves, but that's more to just be alert and also just to to speak openly, potentially with that, that young person's parent, and help them to become aware.

Nikki Jeacocke [00:16:09] If I could add there that change in an individual is an important one. And coaches often know their participants well, and they get it's a really lovely relationship that, that they build. And so if things change for the young person, as Danni said, it can be the coach that's often the first to see that. And whether that's that they're asking for more training sessions or, you know, they're more conscious in the uniforms. You know, there's a number of examples we can give there. But but identifying change in an individual, which then comes back to treating each individual as an individual, a narrative that I do hear a lot in my role is things around, you know, well, you know, enough weight loss, enough weight hasn't been lost or there hasn't been any weight loss. So it's not an issue. And I would really like to push back against that narrative around weight as a early warning sign. There are times where there are eating disorders, where weight is absolutely never a sign, and there are times where weight loss is a very late sign. And by the time we we pick up on it and waiting for, you know, quote unquote, to drop far enough that we're then concerned we could be talking about an eating disorder that is very well embedded.

Annabelle White [00:17:26] Nikki, how would you describe a community sport environment that is body image safe?

Nikki Jeacocke [00:17:32] I think this is a really important one. So the environment that is created for our young people is so important and the link to body image. So community sport where I've seen that being done well, it's where all body shapes sizes are welcome and that they have a role to play so that we're not prioritising specific body shapes, sizes, whether that's height, as well, to specific positions. And it's also around the language that is used. So I think it's creating a safe environment. And then within that the language that it's used. So for community coaches it's being very specific about you know, bodies are being used to do the sport. They are the vehicle for the sport. But being very conscious of the coach that when you are trying to give technical advice and technical feedback to someone in your sport, that you are giving very specific technical feedback and not appearance-based feedback. So an example I have here is around, you look good. It is a comment that I hear a lot in community sport and in high performance sport too, to be honest. So, you know, what do we mean by you looked good. And I know when I hear coaches say it that they they are meaning technical, but I would like to have as a guess that for anyone who is told they look good no matter where they are and what they are doing, that that person is probably thinking, that's an appearance-based comment. And I had this conversation with a water polo coach and I said, you know, I really don't, you know one of my bugbears is “you look good”. And I said, “Oh, I'm really shocked by that Nikki, I use that all the time when I'm, you know, coaching my water polo athletes”. And I said to them, “What are you trying to say when you say you looked good in the water today? Because that's the example that I was giving. I said, what are you trying to say?” And they're like, “Well, you know, if I'm talking to the goalkeeper, what I was trying to say was they had great height in the water, they were sitting really high up and, you know, so they had a really good, spread of their arms and they were covering a lot of the goal. And so, you know, their body position in the water was really great”. And I'm like, “Excellent. So rather than you're looking good where I'm pretty sure the person is thinking, I look good in my togs today. You're trying to actually give very technical feedback so that there's no ambiguity and there's no confusion about what you're trying to say.”

Annabelle White [00:20:04] Danni, do you have anything to add there?

Danni Rowlands [00:20:06] I think if we're thinking about, environments, and how we can make them body image safe, particularly at that community level as well. Obviously the language is a critical one, but it's broader than that, too. It's obviously thinking around uniforms and thinking about what's, you know, what's available to young people that will make them feel comfortable. We know that young people, particularly girls, will drop out of sport at a higher rate than at any other time than when they're in that early adolescent age group, around that, 12, 13, 14 years old. So what are the, what are the uniforms that we're making available? Can we have flexibility around that so that we make sure that young people do feel comfortable in their body while it's changing and, and whatnot?

Annabelle White [00:20:51] So, Nikki, in your experience, have you noticed times when coaches or even others in sport haven't been conscious of their language and how it might impact someone's relationship with body image?

Nikki Jeacocke [00:21:03] Yeah, I have I think there's three examples I'd like to give here around how language, can impact someone's body image. I think there's the obvious overt commenting around someone's body that is offensive, negative, harmful, and I think most people don't need me to give an example of that. They'll be aware of what that looks like. I think we see that less and less. And that's one. I think there are two times, and in your question was around when they haven't been conscious. I think that's a really conscious and obvious choice to make those comments, those comments. I think there are times where there are two ways that coaches can, can unconsciously, that their language can be harmful and that can be casual comments. And an example I give here is like, if a coach, you know, you've got a group of kids and you just about to go off for Easter school holidays, you know, a coach, the casual comment around, “Oh, well make sure you don’t too many Easter eggs, you know, over the break. You know, we've had a great pre-season. We don't want to undo all the hard work that we've done”. So that's not an overt and overly offensive, but it's that casual comment which is really encouraging dieting, diet culture, that body's changing. You know, there's a real negative undertone there. And then the flip could be said that, you know, when the, when the team come back from school holidays of, “So clearly you enjoyed your Easter eggs, you know, everyone, everyone clearly had a few too many”. You know, so I think that that can be, you know, and sometimes we do that as banter and chit chat, but we need to be really careful of those casual comments. And the other example that I would give is when we actually think we're giving something, someone a compliment, but we're accidentally potentially causing harm. And so the example that I gave before around you look, you looked good in training today. That is coming, I would suspect, from a really great place when anyone says that, but it still has the potential to cause harm.

Annabelle White [00:23:02] Yeah, absolutely. And I've certainly seen it in my experience, particularly where you haven't seen a child for an extended period of time and maybe they've grown just in height. And that throwaway comment of, oh, you've you've grown so much, even we see that in just, you know, our general day to day lives and it's so easy to make those throwaway comments and not realise the impact it might be having. Danni, coaches will need to comment on a participant's body sometimes to give technical feedback, and we've spoken a lot about that today. How can coaches manage this whilst still creating a environment that's body image safe?

Danni Rowlands [00:23:40] So it is going to depend on obviously the sport and what kind, because some sports have very technical requirements that they need that will require coaches to make lots of comments around body positioning or whatever that might be for their sport. We want, obviously avoid where we can, is using the body size as the motivator. So for example, that if we say, because then what we're doing is we're inadvertently attaching their weight and how they look to their worth or their performance as an athlete. So we want to try to keep them a little bit separate. So for example, if we've heard in a sport oh you landed really heavy then. That could be perceived as. Oh, gosh, I'm I'm heavy, I’ve landed heavy noting that for some some participants that feedback will be just taking it with a grain of salt and won't really be thought too much about it. So we do need to be mindful of the fact as well, that how our comments land will be different on everybody, but we can't control that. So we don't know how anyone feeling in a certain certain point.

Annabelle White [00:24:43] Danni, practically, what are some things that coaches can do to embed positive body image practices into their coaching?

Danni Rowlands [00:24:50] So I think the first thing is, is coaches need to check in with themselves and actually do a bit of a reccy [reconnaissance] and understand what language they're using, what are the words they’re using. And as I mentioned, coaches are people too. So their relationship with their own body is going to be a massive factor in how they also talk and speak and view bodies and, and, you know, young people in their, in their own sport. How they were coached, the language that was used with them is also going to influence. So I think that's the thing we need to really remember is that they are influenced by so many things as a coach. It's also about thinking about the environment that you have with your participants and really trying to think about what are some starts, some changes that you can make. So we don't want to try to think, we've got to fix everything and change everything and everything's broken right now. It is about what can we what what can we do in bite-sized pieces? Again, not to use a food, food analogy in this topic, but what are some things and simple things that we, we can do? Or if there is something like you always say “You look good” or every time you see your, your team or athlete, you know, participants when they return from holidays or whatever, you, you make a comment about, about how they look, can it be something else? Can you actually just really have a mindful, conscious thought around, what is it that I'm going to actually focus on in that. Of course, seeking to learn and learn more about these topics is really important as well. So there are some some great resources. And, and I will share some of those are attached to this as well. But there are some resources that can help you with language and help you consider the role modelling aspects that you do. If you feel it's a culture thing within your sport, actually kind of be a bit of an advocate for that as well. So I think we can be that practical and do that practical stuff one on one as a coach and think about ourselves as an individual, but also how can we influence the broader sport and if, when or even it might just even be at our club? What are some things that we could implement to actually really support positive body image in our sporting environment? Coaching is a really, really, honourable role and a job to do. And again, people don't need to be perfect. And, you know, coaches come up against criticism. And it's really important that our aim with this, this topic and what we're sharing today is not to to make coaches feel like they're getting it all wrong or that there's real criticism and they're all doing it in a really bad way. But rather that this is an opportunity for coaches to, to grow and to learn and to, as we say, unlearn. And that's what self-awareness allows you to do, is to, to check in with yourself and what is driving and what is motivating and what has influenced your coaching style. And just be open to other ways. That's going to be the benefit of the participants, but it's also going to be at the benefit of yourself. Because when we keep learning about body image, the the thing that allows us to grow is that that we find new skills and strategies and, you know, moments of awakening, that helps our own body image to.

Annabelle White [00:28:04] Danni and your role as a coach, how do you work to improve your own self-awareness?

Danni Rowlands [00:28:10] Yeah. Well, I guess, you know, I've worked in that eating disorder and body image space for over 20 years. I've been a high level, athlete in sport, be it netball, and I've also had a lived experience of an eating disorder which did kind of, sport definitely contributed, wasn't the only factor, but definitely contributed. So me, constantly checking in is just part of my nature. And while I have fully recovered, I think we keep growing and evolving as as human beings. So I don't ever think there's an end date without it. With each age and stage that comes in life, I'm I'm having to, you know, look at things through, through different lenses. So I guess, you know, I do think that that self-awareness is it's a priority to me, as is continually growing, learning and unlearning, I think about things even in this space that I've worked in for 20 years, things that I initially thought was the right message that we've now morphed and changed has evolved. So it's not about perfection. The world we live in is continually growing and changing. And so it's it's about being open to the ride of that, so that you can, can keep, keep learning more. And this topic is constantly changing. It is constantly evolving for. It is about kind of tuning in, knowing who I am, what's important to me. And, you know, when I coach the team, I've had them since under nines. I've watched them trying to grow some of them. Some of them involved in pathway stuff. But for me, it's just their enjoyment and just making sure that their experience is, is a really positive one.

Annabelle White [00:29:41] Nikki, how can coaches really empower their participants to see their bodies as just really capable?

Nikki Jeacocke [00:29:49] I mean, a lot does come down to the language that we use. So we're using positive language. But giving them examples, you know, the whole and what I love about sport for children is that it, you know, they're not great and I love watching. You know, Danni gave the example of the coaching her netballers from under nine, you know, until I think they're, you know, around 13 at the moment. You know, watching my kids who've gone from playing a sport where they could barely catch a ball, barely hit a ball, and watching that skill progression and the joy that that brings an individual of, of, and mastering a skill. I don't want to say that because, you know, our young people aren't there yet, they're not masters of their sport. And that is absolutely okay. So, you know, the strength for me around community sport is so many, so many, so many things. But around that camaraderie, you know, teamwork and, you know, doing hard things and failing and that it's okay to fail, but doing hard things and also learning and getting better and seeing that growth. So for me, it really is that strength-based focus, you know, how can we focus on all the things that their bodies can do and their bodies of all different shapes and sizes can do the same activity? You don't have to be a cookie cutter, exactly the same individual to be successful at a sport. So, you know, community sport. And within that, coaches, I think by creating a safe and supportive environment you are empowering your participants and just allowing them to be themselves, be individuals, they then, hopefully they will flourish.

Annabelle White [00:31:22] Danni, there are so many resources out there to support coaches in navigating body image. Do you have any favourites that you'd like to recommend coaches take a look at?

Danni Rowlands [00:31:31] There are lots of resources around body image, so there's books and things like that. And I think that's a really critical place for coaches, particularly community based coaches. To start is actually just to look at the topic of body image more broadly rather than a specific to to sport, because particularly in community sport, you know, that's, that's they're all people. They're not we're not, you know, drilling them down into to elite athletes. So definitely having a look. So Butterfly [Foundation], we've got lots of, you know, tip sheets and information. I love the AIS, so while it has been designed for, obviously coaches of of higher level and higher performing athletes, I think the information, the resources around disordered eating in sport, there is, is fantastic as well. So Butterfly [Foundation] have a range of resources and information that that can be accessed. Butterfly [Foundation] also has our Body Kind Sports, which is which offers supports to community-based through to pathway environments that can really help coaches and sport administrators and parents to understand their role in supporting positive body image.

Annabelle White [00:32:39] Thank you Nikki and Danni both for your time. Some really valuable insights and information. If today's podcast was triggering to you, there is support available. Please reach out to the Butterfly National Helpline. The details will be included in the show notes.

Thanks for listening.

To learn more about community coaching and officiating, head to the ASC’s Community Coaching and Officiating web pages. My name is Annabelle White and I look forward to you joining me for the next podcast in the Coaching and Officiating series. If you like today's podcast, please follow us wherever you get your podcasts and share this with your teammates, fellow coaches and officials, and friends.

This podcast was produced on the lands of the Ngunnawal people. I wish to pay my respects to the traditional custodians and recognise any other people or families with connection to the lands of the ACT and region. I wish to pay my respects to their elders, past and present, and acknowledge and respect their continuing connection to country.