Ray Cotti's story is different to the other episodes in the Everyday Brave series of six half-hour documentaries. The others are about older people who have achieved something tangible in their field - music, health, politics, media, the land.

On the surface, Ray is a young Aboriginal man of 25 who does not seem to have achieved anything obvious. Yet he epitomises the idea of "everyday brave" because Ray has struggled daily, for most of his life, with his sense of himself. He has recently begun to achieve a sense of identity and has journeyed from despair on the streets of Sydney to building a family and finding his biological family.

Two years ago, director Darlene Johnson was working on her documentary, Stolen Generations - three stories of Aboriginal people taken from their families. Darlene met Ray in Sydney at Tranby Aboriginal College and filmed some of his story, but it was excluded from the final film, partly because Ray was adopted and wasn't really part of the Stolen Generation.

In fact, Ray's complex family life has seen him forge relationships with three mothers: Johanna Cotti from the Swiss-German family who originally adopted him with the best of intentions in the mid 70s; Karen Shaw, the foster mother who took him in after relations temporarily broke down with his first adoptive family; and Joyleen Stewart, his Aboriginal birth mother whom he discovered only recently.

Series producer Rod Freedman had asked Darlene to develop a story about Evelyn Crawford, an Aboriginal activist in education but sadly, Auntie Evelyn died just two weeks before filming started.

Darlene then suggested following up Ray's story to see how he was getting on. She traced him to Port Macquarie in New South Wales, rekindled their friendship and returned convinced that there was a good story for the series.

Darlene observed, "Life is not easy for him but he's a long way from the troubled teenager who had lived on the streets and contemplated suicide. He's much more settled than the last time we met but still struggling with life."

Producer Rod Freedman was intrigued: "I was fascinated by Darlene's description of Ray as identifying strongly with each of his three mothers and of how, until recently, he regarded himself as white even though he was clearly black. Ray was struggling to achieve what most of us take for granted - knowing where we come from and who we are."

"Having footage from two years ago gave us a fantastic scope for this film. It's revealing to see Ray develop from an intense, determined seeker into a family man finding a place in a community, becoming a father, playing with the local footy team, getting the support of others who see the pain and hope in his story. Ray's story is unique, but it will resonate for many black and mainstream people who have lost family connections and their sense of place," observes Rod.

Ray grew up in a white culture and didn't know his true parents. He was also separated from his culture, with devastating effect. When Darlene first filmed with Ray, he had only recently found his mother in Whyalla and accepted the fact that he was Aboriginal. He referred to himself as "a coconut" - black on the outside but white on the inside. As Jack Beetson, Executive Director of Tranby Aboriginal College, says in the film, "For many of our young people they know what they are and the distinction needs to be made between what you are and who you are."

Ray was living with his partner, Rebecca, her daughter and their baby son, Ray Junior. He was still on his journey of self-discovery and wanting to meet his father. He was happy for us to take up where Darlene had left off two years before.

The crew spent about a week with Ray and were privileged to be part of an emotional reunion with his father, his grandmother and his aunt. Ray's foster mother, Karen, came up for the weekend to support him. The family was very open with the crew.

Rod Freedman notes, "It's an honour to be present at as intimate a moment as a family meeting for the first time. Ray was very committed to giving us access because he hopes this film will be of use to Aboriginal people like him who are trying to find their family and thereby, find themselves."

Ray's journey has been tough - a daily struggle in a confronting an often hostile world. And he knows he must continue to reconcile within himself the often opposing forces which have shaped him. Stranger in My Skin is an inspiring story because Ray has developed from a suicidal misfit to becoming a determined member of a community. Ray's journey is the epitome of Everyday Brave.

The six-part Everyday Brave series was designed not only to celebrate Indigenous Australian achievers but also to offer production opportunities and skills development to Indigenous filmmakers.

• About the filmmakers
• About the production companies
• Behind the scenes: production stories
• Back to Indigenous Voices Showcase home

For more about the series and specific episodes, see our program detail pages where you can also purchase video copies online:

• Everyday Brave: The Series
• For Who I Am-Bonita Mabo
• Jetja Nai Medical Mob-Naomi Mayers
• Media Nomads-The Thaiday Brothers
• Mistake Creek-Steven Craig
• Saltwater Bluesman-Uncle Kiddo Taylor
• Stranger in My Skin-Ray Cotti

Download a copy of the Everyday Brave teachers notes (Acrobat pdf, 392kb)

Download a copy of the Everyday Brave press kit (Word file, 336k) which includes:

• synopses
• production stories
• filmmaker biographies
• full credit list

for each episode

Note: detailed information is available for many titles in press kits that are downloadable from program detail pages.