Nancy Bates didn’t expect to become a musician – let alone one who would tour the country with Archie Roach or bring songwriting programs into women’s prisons. But Bates’ path has always been less about career than it is about calling.

A Barkandji and Wilyakali woman from far west New South Wales, Bates grew up around guitars and community singalongs in Broken Hill and Wilcannia. Music was a part of life, but not something she saw as a future. “I was a late bloomer,” she says. “I only got serious about it in my thirties.”

Moving to Adelaide with her young daughter, Bates began working with Aboriginal Family Support Services. She later became a caseworker at Link-Up SA, helping members of the Stolen Generations reclaim their family stories.

Nancy Bates at at Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Photo © Stefanie Zingsheim/University of Sydney

That work exposed her to the deep traumas woven through her community, particularly among women. It was a pivotal education, one that shaped her voice – literally and figuratively.

One day,...