Patricia Bollard - Proud Aboriginal Elder - I am an Aboriginal elder in Benalla. I am 85 years old having moved to Benalla 36 years ago. Like many Aboriginal people I am not living in the nation of my ancestry. My people, the Palawa people come from Northeast Tasmania. I spent most of my working life in Canberra. I love living in Benalla with my faithful dog Hamish. To me, respect means * treating people as we would like to be treated ourselves. It means acknowledging that women are just as worthy as men, that the colour of skin, religion, racial origin, sex and age have nothing to do with merit, that other people have a right to their own views and just because they differ from ours they’re not necessarily wrong. “Respect” is the opposite of violence - physical, verbal or attitudinal. It can be quiet tolerance or admiration but it must be positive, rather than negative. Treating people as we would like to be treated ourselves.