Article written by Sera-Lyn Terare.
Australia is fortunate enough to have one of the oldest continuing cultures in the world. This is something that we all should be proud of. To celebrate our shared history, we have many occasions during the year that our nation celebrates, one of them being National Reconciliation Week.
National Reconciliation Week is an event that happens annually from May 27 through until 3 June. These dates are significant to the history of the reconciliation journey and the milestones that were reached. The successful 1967 referendum, and the High Court Mabo decision to respectively name a few.
For those who don’t know the history of National Reconciliation Week, it started as a Week of Prayer for Reconciliation in 1993 which was supported by Australia’s major faith communities. The year of 1996, the council for Aboriginal Australia was established so that national reconciliation could continue.
National Reconciliation Week is a time for all Australians to understand and learn about our shared histories, cultures and achievements as well as explore how we can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.
Reconciliation is about creating a nation strengthened by respectful relationships between the wider Australian community, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples for reconciliation must live in our hearts, minds and actions to be able to move forward. We must believe that by learning and embracing our shared history we’ll gain new relationships with all Australians.
This year for National Reconciliation Week, there are many events during the week that will be held in multiple locations across the nation. In Brisbane, Griffith University at both Gold Coast and Nathan campuses held a Walk and Talk event held by the Gumurrii Student Support Unit that included a long walk from Mount Gravatt campus to Nathan campus with members of the staff, students and many people of the community who came together in a spirit of Reconciliation.
The University of Southern Queensland also hold an event in partnership with Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Foundation (QATSIF) where there’ll be a celebration that will feature a traditional dance from the Hymba Yumba College with guest speakers and a special ceremony to celebrate Reconciliation Week.
Another event that is coming up this week will be held at the Redland Performing Arts Centre. The centre will showcase six Australian Films that will inspire and engage audiences through Australian storytelling. This will be held on Saturday 2 June with a screening of Rabbit-Proof Fence and Ten Canoes. Tickets for a single movie screening are priced at $8 or do a double film special for $14 (you can book tickets via the box office which I will link here). The Rabbit-Proof Fence (PG rating) will be screened at 10am (non-captioned) and 12pm (captioned) and will run for a total of 1 hour and 34 minutes and Ten Canoes (M rating) will be screened at 2pm (non-captioned) and 4pm (captioned).
Reconciliation within Australia is an important feat. We’re creating a new and improved community where our shared Indigenous and Non-Indigenous histories can be accepted.
For more information on National Reconciliation Week, visit Reconciliation Australia’s website. https://www.reconciliation.org.au/
http://www.rpac.com.au/Pages/Performances.aspx?PerfID=345 (the link for the “here” part of the Redland arts film screenings)
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