By Jeremy Lasek, one of the editors of 'We Voted YES'

To loud chants of "YES", an Australian-first book documenting the 2023 Voice referendum campaign through the eyes of a local community has just been launched.

We Voted YES: The Wollongong Voice Referendum Story was 12 months in the making and was launched by First Nations activist Thomas Mayo at UOW's Woolyungah Indigenous Centre on Friday. Its timing is deliberately aligned with the second anniversary of the Voice referendum today, October 14.

The pull-no-punches book takes the reader on a roller-coaster journey, from the Wollongong Yes campaign launch attended by 400 people at UOW to the multitude of events and activities, the highs and the lows, and the fateful night when the national vote was so painful for the local supporters of The Voice. The book also provides very personal reflections from those on the front-line of the campaign, in their own words. Several contributors described the at-times bruising campaign as one of the most challenging and rewarding times of their life.

The 2024 Wollongong Citizen of the Year, Aunty Barb Nicholson, who wrote the foreword for the book, delivered a stirring Welcome to Country at the launch. Two years on, Aunty Barb is still feeling the impact of the referendum defeat. "It cannot be called anything but a national tragedy," she said.

How the seed for the book was sown

Among the speakers at the book launch, the former head of Woolyungah, Jaymee Beveridge, said she remembered when the seed for the book was first planted. "It was at the first Australian Allyship Summit, at UOW, in August 2024. I was listening to Thomas Mayo speak about how history is so often recorded and remembered through the recollections of the victor. That stuck a deep chord with me," Jaymee said.

"I walked away from that moment thinking about my kids and my grandkids; the next seven generations after me. And how I wanted them to know our truth.

"I wanted them to know what it felt like to be part of the Yes campaign, what the journey looked like from the ground up. The door knocking, the cold calling, the hours spend convincing, hoping, and believing. I wanted them to see what activism in 2023 really looked like. Real people. Huge events, giving real heart, time and resources into wanting a better tomorrow, fighting for the rights of our Mob.

"A lot changed for me after the referendum," Jaymee said. "My safe spaces shrank, almost immediately disappearing, if I'm honest. I found myself walking into rooms and counting; quietly assigning who I thought might have been a Yes voter, and who might have voted No.

"That's something I never thought I'd do. I watched racism rise – unveiled, unapologetic, and louder than ever before. It was confronting. It was painful. But it was also clarifying – because in that moment I saw who stood with us, and who still needed to be educated. I also understood how uneducated and intentionally forgetful the voting population of this continent is.

"I saw deception used to baffle those unwilling to explore, research and I was appalled by those who simply refused to turn off Sky News."

'The whole thing played out like a movie' 

Jaymee said, "In the book, my piece tells that story – how the whole thing played out like a movie. A horror movie at times – heart racing, breath shallow, filled with devastation and disbelief.

"But I also write about the 'romantic comedy' chapter – where I discovered a new community of allies. People who showed up, who planned events, who stood shoulder to shoulder with us. Those moments filled my heart with hope and reminded me that love, kindness and collective action are still the most powerful forms of resistance.

"To all the contributors, thank you. Thank you for typing your memories, sharing your photos, and offering your vulnerability for a shared purpose. You've helped create something extraordinary, more than just a book. This is an artefact. A piece of living history. A conversation starter. A creative and cultural record that captures not only what we endured, but how we stood, together, with strength and love."

Jaymee also praised the editorial team, of which she was a member.

"A huge thank you for your patience, for the back-and-forth drafts, the late-night emails, and the heart you poured into bringing this beautiful piece together. You've shaped something that truly honours our community and our collective story," Jaymee said.

"My hope is that the generations who come after us pick this up one day and feel proud. Proud of the courage, the conviction, and the love that held us together. Even when the result didn't go our way, the strength of this community was the victory."

Something to be proud of

In launching the book, Thomas Mayo congratulated the Wollongong community for supporting the Yes vote, and for bringing together "what was an incredible journey, something to be proud of".

Also speaking at the launch, Yes23 Wollongong coordinator John Corker gave his thanks to the committee and postcode coordinators who helped pull together a powerful grassroots campaign.

The 2023 Wollongong Citizen of the Year, Sally Stevenson, spoke about the huge impact the campaign had on the hundreds of volunteers.

"Despite the bitter, sickening disappointment of the No vote, for many of us it was actually an experience, more positive, more visceral than we might have imagined, because... we were given a taste of what walking alongside First Nations people could be like," Sally said.

"If only we'd accepted their gracious invitation to walk together, and to accept and appreciate that their heritage and culture is part of our history and our future. What it might be like to learn from their rich, vast, sensitive, radical and deep knowledge developed over millennia in this extraordinary country. That taste was so sweet. If only we, as a country, were big enough to say Yes."

For the record, in the Federal seat of Cunningham, 55,620 people voted Yes. The local Yes vote in Wollongong was 10 per cent higher than the NSW average, 11 per cent higher than the national Yes vote, and 15 per cent higher than the neighbouring seat of Throsby.

WE Voted YES: The Wollongong Voice Referendum Story was edited by Jaymee Beveridge, Jeremy Lasek, Sally Stevenson, John Corker and Russ Couch. The book will be available for sale ($34.99) from this Friday at the UOW UniShop and Collins Booksellers Thirroul. The book will also feature at 2025's True Story Festival, held over the weekend of November 15 and 16 at Coledale Community Hall.