IT was a day of celebration, learning and reflection in Gannawarra Shire on Friday, with the beginning of National Reconciliation Week marked by festivities in Kerang.
Partnering with Mallee District Aboriginal Services (MDAS) and Northern District Community Health, Gannawarra Shire Council held a flag-raising at the Kerang council building before local leaders and community members walked to Kerang Memorial Hall.
Outside the hall, the community took part in a welcome to country and smoking ceremony conducted by Hack Webster, followed by a story session for children by Aunty Lil Murray and a Q&A session in which the elders asked the children common questions about Reconciliation Week. The ceremonies ended with the re-signing of the Gannawarra Shire Council partnership agreement.
“National Reconciliation Week is a time for all Australians to learn about how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia,” Mayor Charlie Gillingham said.
“This year’s Reconciliation Week theme is Be Brave. Make Change, which is a challenge to all Australians to be brave and tackle the unfinished business of reconciliation so we can make change for the benefit of all Australians.”
National Reconciliation Week is celebrated every year from May 27 to June 3, and is a time for the community to reflect and learn about history and culture, working towards achieving reconciliation in Australia.
MDAS Working Together for Health co-ordinator Toni Webster said the community celebrations for Reconciliation Week in Gannawarra Shire were a great initiative.
“The Reconciliation Week theme this year talks about all of us being brave, because there are some difficult things in relation to history of our country,” Ms Webster said.
“But it’s about opening our hearts and minds to our shared history, what that means, good and bad, and moving on from that.”
The dates of National Reconciliation Week are of important significance. May 27 marks the 1967 referendum that gave Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders the right to vote and recognised them in the census, while June 3 marks the 1992 High Court Mabo native title decision, giving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people legal recognition as traditional owners.
“We hope National Reconciliation Week will leave people feeling better informed about the culture of our First People – 60,000 years old and the oldest continuing culture on earth,” Ms Webster said.
“That’s something we can all take pride in.”
