Betty Ambrym has pleaded guilty to affray, two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and assault for the October 23 attack on two women on the footpath near the Utah 501 shop.

Yesterday Ambrym, 18, cried as she apologised for her actions, which she said were sparked by a passion to defend her family and her culture.

“I have pleaded guilty because I know I did the wrong thing,” she said.

“I should have walked away.

“I’m sorry for what happened down the street.”

Ambrym said she did not start the fight which left late-night shoppers stunned and afraid, and wanted to see an end to hostility between the parties.

She also wanted a greater understanding between different cultures in the Border community.

“I want to have mediation between us so I can say how I feel and resolve the problems,” she said.

“Indigenous and non-indigenous people need to come back together and make a community, not fight in it.”

Ambrym said she felt the need to defend her relatives after about a month of tension involving an alleged anti-Koori group called KAC.

She said the group of about seven had “chased” and tried to assault two of her young cousins earlier that night and when she and other family members arrived in Dean Street one of the women, who wanted to fight her about a week earlier, initiated the brawl.

“She wanted to fight me because I’m Aboriginal,” Ambrym said.

“But I’m proud of who I am ... it had been going on too long and I was sick and tired of it.

“But it takes two to fight, not just one. I’m not a trouble maker and I don’t go looking for trouble, but my family comes first in my life.”

Ambrym said if a similar sit-

uation arose again she would “walk away and put it into the hands of police”.

She said she would like the other people involved to be charged for their roles in the fight.

Ambrym, who will be sentenced in January, said one of her goals was to become a youth worker and help young people of all backgrounds.