I am a 13 year old, Year 8 student at Mt Scopus College in Melbourne. I have been singing and performing since I was eight years old. I have studied music and singing since young and am currently studying with Master Coach David Jaanz.

I have sung at community based concerts and in school productions, competitions and Soirées. I love performing and lead soloists. Some of my influences are Delta Goodrem, Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Barbra Streisand, Tina Arena and Eva Cassidy.

I entered the National Reconciliation Week ‘Sing Loud’ competition to come together with other performers and artists after seeing it advertised on a cafe postcard. The fact that Delta was to be one of the judges was a strong attraction as I admire Delta’s performances and recently had the opportunity to meet her through my singing school.

I was inspired by Robert Beattie’s song ‘Time to get Serious’. It retells the whole history of Reconciliation from the earliest times of the indigenous Australians, through the European settlement to the moment of the Apology. It is like a complete school semester on the meaning of Reconciliation and the history of this important subject in a musical format that I could relate to and learn from.

Given its length, I couldn’t include the full lyrics of Robert Beattie’s song in my film-clip, but I think that like me, others my age can benefit from hearing this song and learning more about the story, which is a difficult and important part of our history as Australians.

Young people don’t understand Reconciliation. Robert Beattie’s song leant itself to an arrangement which could include some samples of our national Anthem. Hints of “Beauty Rich and Rare” and “Australia Fair” are heard underneath lyrics which refer to the saddest and most difficult time in our Indigenous history. “Beauty” and “Fair” are enshrined in our National Anthem but for decades life wasn’t like that for the Indigenous people.

A highlight for me after submitting my entry to the competition was being contacted by the song’s author Robert Beattie who was pleased with my interpretation of his song and also the video which I submitted. We put some extras into the film-clip including a stash of vintage vision we managed to find, as well as filming at a little known indigenous sacred site in St Kilda Junction. The video was filmed at the 400 year old Corroboree (‘Ngargee’) tree. The tree is a symbol of the cultural heritage of the original Australians in the Kulin Nation (a pre-settlement federation of Aboriginal Tribes) who met at this place prior to the European settlement in 1835.

Even though this site is protected, it is poorly signed and I hope that through this video others will learn about the significance of this sacred site which has become hidden in St Kilda’s urban development.

I plan to use a portion of the cash prize from Sing Loud! to pay for some of my musical training and to buy some albums but I am planning to donate half of the prize to some Indigenous causes.

Check out Jemma’s YouTube channel for more of her music.