National Reconciliation Week- invitation to celebrate 31 May, 10am at Bwd and Geelong (WP)
Dear Colleagues
National Reconciliation Week is a time for us to listen to the truths that are told to us by our Indigenous Australian colleagues.
National Reconciliation Week is an annual commemoration that runs from the 27th of May through to the 3rd of June. These dates acknowledge two significant milestones in the reconciliation journey – the successful 1967 Referendum; and the High Court Mabo decision respectively.
Reconciliation, or the notion of ‘coming together’ within the context of improving Australian race relations, was the last recommendation of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody Report (1991). The underpinning of contemporary reconciliation is the relationship between the broader Australian community and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. To foster positive and forward movement, our relationships must be grounded in a foundation of truth. This year’s theme is just that: ‘Grounded in Truth, Walk Together with Courage’.
Some of these truths are uncomfortable and difficult to articulate. National Sorry Day is a prelude to National Reconciliation Week in ways. This day acknowledges the Stolen Generations and is a time of reflection and empathy. It is a commitment to remembering and finding voice, particularly for those who have experienced depths of ongoing trauma so visceral (and inter-generational) that it is experienced as silence. The telling of truth and how that truth may be received is centred upon trust and healing. Trust must be established and maintained, and National Reconciliation Week provides a time to reflect upon this ongoing journey and consider the place of truth in this process – of telling with safety; of listening with humanity; of doing with integrity and strident purpose.
Without the truth, the past cannot be reconciled. And meaningful relationships, as just and equitable, may be inauthentic or token. The probity of reconciliation is mediated around five key dimensions: historical acceptance; race relations; equality and equity; institutional integrity and unity. The acknowledgement of the past, its impact and the move to reparation and healing is the responsibility of everyone. The recognition that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People’s Knowledges, ingenuity and cultural practices are sophisticated modalities that can inform other frames also forms the basis of re-shaping a shared contemporary Australian narrative that is respectful, rigorous and self-aware.
Please join us at the Central Precinct, Burwood on the 31st of May from 10.00am for Reconciliation Week activities.
National Reconciliation Day
Friday, 31 May 2019 | 10am–11am
Central Precinct, Level 2, Building HF, Melbourne Burwood Campus
Confirm your attendance here.
In addition, the Institute of Koorie Education will host a morning tea at Waurn Ponds from 10am – 11.00am also on the 31st of May.
This will be in the Harold Mitchell Hall, and we would love you to share this reflection and celebration time with us.
Please email [email protected] to let us know if you’d like to attend.
Let us walk together down the long road, united in our understanding.
Thank you,
Gabby
Associate Professor Gabrielle Fletcher (PhD)
Acting Director, Institute of Koorie Education
Faculty of Arts and Education
Read more about National Reconciliation Week at this link: National Reconciliation Week.
(27 May–3 June) – a time for all Australian’s to learn about our shared histories, cultures and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.