Leah’s lived in many places but none feel like home such as the Territory
LEAH Sanderson has lived in many cities across Australia and the world, but Darwin was the first place that closely resembled home
Northern Territory
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LEAH Sanderson has lived in many cities across Australia and the world, but Darwin was the first place that closely resembled home.
Born in northern New South Wales, Ms Sanderson has lived in London, Bangladesh, Melbourne and Brisbane, but said none had captured her heart like the Territory.
As a teen she visited the NT on a family holiday, and has evocative memories of the experience.
“I have very vivid memories of dancing with some of the beautiful Aboriginal women at Mindil Beach Markets at sunset,” she said.
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“And watching Cathy Freeman win her 400m race when I was in Alice Springs camping with the family, watching on an old TV in the middle of the campground.”
She first moved to Tennant Creek to become an organiser for the Desert Harmony Festival, and said living in the isolated town was etched in her mind forever.
“When you live in Tennant Creek it’s hard to imagine anywhere else exists,” she said. “It’s such a bubble and when you’re out of Tennant Creek, you can’t imagine Tennant Creek exists.”
After six months she began driving back to the east coast, but took a U-turn back to the Territory when she was offered a job in Darwin.
Two and a half years later, Ms Sanderson’s love affair with the Territory is as strong as ever.
“I feel really lucky to be living on Larrakia land,” she said. “It’s a great privilege and my experience of the Territory in Darwin has been a very warm community in more ways than one.
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“Down in Tennant Creek people who live there would know the sky turns a really unusual shade of light blue and pink at sunset. It’s like a sky I’ve never seen anywhere else.
“There’s almost an ethereal feeling at dusk in Tennant Creek, and then up in Darwin I just had never seen the sky light up on fire like it does at sunset.”
The NT News Why I Love the Territory series shares the stories of people of all ages and backgrounds who call the Top End home. The catch is, the person who is featured chooses the next Territorian. Check out next Saturday’s NT News to see who Leah Sanderson picked.
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