Posts related to 'reconciliation'

Statement of Commitment to Reconciliation

Published by Alex Makin on Wednesday 15th of October, 2008

This afternoon I met with a representative of Learning and Reconciliation Maroondah to sign the Statement of Commitment to Reconciliation. The document reinforces my commitment to working towards an inclusive society that provides opportunities for all all people, including indigenous Australians.

Learning and Reconciliation Maroondah is one of two local groups that aim to advance reconciliation with Indigenous Australians. Like Maroondah Movement for Reconciliation, Learning and Reconciliation Maroondah aims to to educate the community about the need for reconciliation and to raise awareness of Indigenous cultures and communities.

A copy of the statement and covering letter is available within this post.

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Maroondah Movement for Reconciliation Meeting

Published by Alex Makin on Monday 13th of October, 2008

This evening, after a meeting at Maroondah Council, Cr. Jo-anne Taylor and I attended a Maroondah Movement for Reconciliation (MMR) meeting.

Maroondah Movement for Reconciliation is one of two local groups that aim to raise awareness about Indigenous communities and culture. Tonight’s meeting included a presentation from the Mullum Mullum Indigenous Gathering Place to discuss the aims of the organisation.

The Mullum Mullum Indigenous Gathering Place is committed to the social, cultural and economic development of the Indigenous community. The Gathering Place operates on a community house based model and provides early childhood, youth, elderly, women’s and men’s programs.

The Gathering Place has recently leased a building at 47 Patterson Street in Ringwood East. In 2004 Wurundjeri Elder, Aunty Joy Murphy-Wandin named the property and its community Djerrnong, which means “many feet walking together”.

The name describes the journey that this community is undertaking to purchase Djerrnong to provide a permanent meeting place for Indigenous communities and to promote cultural understanding and respect.

For further details on the Mullum Mullum Indigenous Gathering Place please visit www.mmigp.org.au.

Delegates’ Report: Support services, musical talents, advancing reconciliation and planning for Community Safety Week

Published by Alex Makin on Monday 21st of July, 2008

On the 20th of June I had the pleasure of attending Hope City Mission’s Charity Auction Evening. Hope City Mission, based in Croydon South provides assistance to people in need within our community. The mission does this by not only providing emergency relief in the form of food and clothing but by also focusing on the wellbeing of individuals. Through this focus on wellbeing and empowering change the Mission provides pamper days and extravaganza days, which provide haircuts and a chance to socialise and restore community connectedness. I also had the pleasure of seeing the Mission’s Pamper Day in action, last Friday on the 18th of July and I saw firsthand the benefits this service provides to some of our most vulnerable community members.

Individual wellbeing is just as important as food and clothing and Hope City achieves its Mission through broadening its focus on empowerment.

On the 4th of July the Eastern Transport Coalition held its Public Transport Summit, entitled it’s ‘Time to Move On’, that is time to move away from car dependence and the crippling cost that petrol is having on our families and towards public transport improvements. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the many members of the Maroondah community who attended the summit and supported my presentation on the need for the redevelopment of Ringwood Station and the importance of the Ringwood Transit City as a regional centre.

The redevelopment of Ringwood Station is critical to ensuring the revitalisation of Ringwood. The current station fails accessibility standards and is perceived to be unsafe, with Ringwood Station consistently being perceived as one of the most unsafe locations within Maroondah. Coupled with traffic calming along Maroondah Highway, pedestrians which total approximately 10,000 per day would be able to conveniently travel between the transport interchange and the residential/commercial precincts of Ringwood.

The Eastern Transport Coalition has recognised Ringwood’s importance as a regional centre and as a council we must support our neighbouring municipalities in calling for greater investment in public transport. There is strength in Maroondah being part of a concerted regional push, whereby one million residents across the eastern suburbs, recognise the importance in redeveloping Ringwood Station. Let us hope that the State Government heeds this call and delivers this essential upgrade to the station.

On the 11th of July I attended the Maroondah NAIDOC week celebrations which commemorated council’s permanent flying of the Aboriginal flag and I would like to congratulate the many community groups, the Indigenous networks and the Mullum Mullum Indigenous Gathering Place for attending the ceremony.

The theme for this year’s NAIDOC week is ‘Advance Australia Fair?’ It is important to note that the organisers intended this theme as a question, since it is a timely reminder of the health, education and wellbeing inequities that exist between non-Indigenous and Indigenous Australia. Council’s Reconciliation Plan, which is included on tonight’s agenda will hopefully assist in bridging this gap and ensure that we as local government are working towards reconciliation.

On the 12th of July I had an afternoon of music, firstly with Enjoying Planned Retirement’s Hidden Talents concert. Where EPR’s unveiled the diverse singing, comedy and music talents of its expansive membership. EPR states that they are ‘recycled teenagers’ although I don’t think my teenage years were ever that fun! I would like to congratulate EPR on yet another fun filled event and look forward to the next Hidden Talents concert in September.

That evening I attended the Ringwood Eisteddfod, marking its 54th year of showcasing the immense musical talent that exists within our community. I would like to commend the many people involved in organising and performing within the Eisteddfod.

While the Premier and Cabinet held a community cabinet session in Karralyka on the 15th of July, I was busy chairing the Maroondah Partners in Health, Safety and Wellbeing Committee. With the year half over it is encouraging the see the continuation of the strong networking that exists within the committee with a number of agencies and organisations, such as Connex and the Department of Education, assisting council in undertaking activities for Community Safety Week in October. Do watch this space for details on the council activities for Community Safety Week.

Maroondah Council celebrates NAIDOC week

Published by Alex Makin on Friday 11th of July, 2008

NAIDOC is an acronym for ‘National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee’, in recognition of the initial committee that organised the week, which aims to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Indigenous Australians.

NAIDOC Week for 2008 is between the 6th and 13th of July and as part of the proceeding Maroondah City Council held a ceremony celebrating the permanent flying of the Indigenous flag at Council’s civic centres.

The celebration included Indigenous elders, the Mullum Mullum Indigenous Gathering Place and local reconciliation groups, such as Maroondah Movement for Reconciliation and Learning and Reconciliation Maroondah. It was encouraging to see the mayor deliver an acknowledgement of country to officially recognise Indigenous Australians and and their connection to Maroondah.

While the Mayor did not deliver acknowledgement of country during Reconciliation Week, it was certainly good to see proper process being followed for NAIDOC week and this is a positive step forward in terms of Maroondah’s commitment to the Indigenous community.

The NAIDOC theme for this year is ‘Advance Australia Fair?’ and it is a pertinent reminder of the current health, education and wellbeing issues that affect Indigenous Australians. Maroondah is finalising its Reconciliation Policy for consideration at Monday night’s council meeting. This document will solidify Maroondah’s commitment to reconciliation and the steps we can take as a local government to ensure that we Advance Australia Fair.

Mitcham Rotary Reconciliation Week Concert

Published by Alex Makin on Sunday 1st of June, 2008

This afternoon I attended the Mitcham Rotary Club’s Reconciliation Week concert featuring singer and songwriter Archie Roach. Mitcham Rotary hosted the concert to fund Rotary Scholarships to train Indigenous medical professionals and also to raise money towards providing solar power for community centres in East Timor.

Archie Roach sang a number of his songs, including several that were included on the soundtrack to Liyarn Ngarn. The concert provided a further opportunity to reflect on Reconciliation Week and to hear the talent of Archie Roach live in a locally held concert.

Mitcham Rotary, and its president Sharon Partridge, need to be congratulated for hosting such a successful event and for raising funds for two extremely worthwhile causes.