Mata will share stories of an individual’s plant-medicine journey, their lived experiences, the stigma and barriers that they face. The stories told on Mata will reflect the vulnerability, joy, pain and healing of countless individuals who have gone through a healthcare system feeling unheard and unseen. When we tell these stories, we are humanising the situation and humanisation is the beginning of creating a sense of belonging, solidarity and community.
Mark Smith grew up in Nelson Bay, New South Wales where the trawlers dried their fishing nets not far from the main harbour and the old wooden wharves. He spent a lot of his time down the coast and spending time sitting with the old Italian and Croatian fishermen listening to their stories, when he was growing up. Mark was a keen, surfer, fisher and diver and spent a lot of time growing up in the bush, until suffering from a debilitating injury in his mid 20s.
