Catherine Freeman represented her people and her country as an athlete and, on the most memorable night in Australian sporting history, won a gold medal at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. In her own words, she “runned fast”. Earlier, she’d lit the Olympic Flame in the Opening Ceremony, making her the first person to light the Olympic flame and win a gold medal at the same games. Catherine believes that your make-up is a product of the past, so it’s natural for her to want to find out about her ancestors. She’s interested in finding out from where she inherited her athletic ability. Catherine also believes you inherit your emotions and psychology from your ancestors and she’s extremely curious to discover what aspects of her innate nature are also inherited. She hopes that learning about her ancestors will make her feel more at ease with who she is, and stronger going into the future.

• Richard Mellick
• Ita Buttrose