National Reconciliation Week provides an opportunity promote reconciliation and an understanding of Indigenous culture. Maroondah celebrates Reconciliation Week through an official launch, as well as a series of events, including cultural awareness training.
This year I was invited to speak at the launch of National Reconciliation Week and the copy of speech is provided within this post:
Continue reading “Maroondah Celebrations for National Reconciliation Week”
Well-respected Indigenous rights speaker and performer Kutcha Edwards will be a special guest at Maroondah City Council’s National Reconciliation Week celebrations.
National Reconciliation Week runs from 27 May – 3 June and recognises the rich culture and history of the First Australians.
Maroondah Councillor Alex Makin said this year’s event would provide a variety of opportunities encouraging the community to explore Indigenous culture and heritage.
“I’d like to extend an invitation to the community to attend Maroondah’s Reconciliation Week celebrations from 10.30am at Maroondah Federation Estate on Tuesday May 31,” Cr Makin said.
“The launch will include a Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony, a flag ceremony and a mesmerising didgeridoo performance by an indigenous performer,” Cr Makin said.
“Following the official procedures, Kutcha Edwards will speak about the theme for this year’s Reconciliation Week – Let’s talk recognition,” Cr Makin said.
“Edwards was born into the Mutti Mutti tribe in New South Wales, before being “stolen” from his family at 18 months of age. As a teenager he was reunited with his family, and started his journey to reconnect with his heritage,” Cr Makin said.
“Edwards now devotes his life working with various community groups including the Aboriginal Community Elders Services (ACES), Victorian Aboriginal Health Service, Fitzroy Stars Youth Club Gymnasium and the Koorie Open Door Education school at Glenroy,” Cr Makin said.
As part of Reconciliation Week, Council will also host an Indigenous Cultural Awareness Training session at Maroondah Federation Estate later in the week.
To find out more about Reconciliation Week events visit www.maroondah.vic.gov.au
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Maroondah Federation Estate celebrated its 10th birthday with a range of activities highlighting the Maroondah Art Gallery and the range of community groups that utilise the facility.
The celebrations coincided with a picnic in the park, providing a free barbecue and the opportunity to meet the Mullum Ward Councillors. Like previous picnic in the parks, today’s event was a great opportunity to meet members of the Maroondah community and I would like to thank the many people I spoke to throughout the day.
The celebrations also focused on the history of Maroondah Federation Estate, which began as a primary school, through photographs supplied by the Ringwood Historical Society. Other photographs covering Ringwood’s early history were also provided by the Ringwood Historical Society.
The Ringwood Historical Society meets on a monthly basis with guest speakers discussing aspects of history.
Tonight’s guest speaker discussed the growing cultural diversity in the early days of the Colony of Victoria through Jewish migration into the settlement. Victoria and Melbourne have a long tradition of cultural diversity and in its early Colonial history Jewish communities were also evident in Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong and Shepparton.
The guest speaker also discussed the difficulties in tracing family histories, particularly due to name changes and a lack of complete records. Fortunately resources exist to assist members in tracing their family histories and to piece together some of the missing pieces.
The Ringwood Historical Society meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month from 8pm at Maroondah Federation Estate. For details please visit www.rhs.org.au.
NAIDOC Week is held in the first full week of July and provides an opportunity to celebrate Indigenous culture and achievements. NAIDOC traces its history back to the 1920s when the first organised groups were formed to advocate for the recognition of Indigenous rights and culture. In the 1950s a committee was formed (then known as NADOC) to oversee a day of remembrance and celebration of Aboriginal culture, later expanding to to cover an entire week in July. In the 1990s the committee became known as the National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee (NAIDOC) in recognition of the distinct Torres Strait Islander culture.
At the conclusion of NAIDOC week, several NAIDOC Balls are held across Australia, including one in eastern Melbourne. The NAIDOC Ball includes an awards night that provides an opportunity to recognise achievements within Indigenous communities. This evening I attended the 2010 NAIDOC Ball in Croydon, where I was joined by Cr Rob Steane and several Councillors from the Shire of Yarra Ranges, as well as many non for profit organisations, businesses and Indigenous elders.
NAIDOC provides an opportunity to not only celebrate Indigenous culture but also to recognise the many individuals, organisations and businesses that are working to improve health, education and opportunities for Indigenous communities within Melbourne’s eastern region and beyond.
NAIDOC Week is held across Australia during July to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
This afternoon I attended NAIDOC celebrations organised by Maroondah Hospital, which is part of of Eastern Health, a network of health services across the eastern region. Maroondah Hospital has worked closely with indigenous communities, including cultural awareness training for its staff, to ensure respect for indigenous patients.
The celebrations included entertainment provided by the One Fire Dance Troupe and an afternoon tea, which was catered by the Healesville Indigenous Arts Enterprise Cooperative. Maroondah Hospital is a major employer within Maroondah, as well as a significant hospital within the eastern region and it is encouraging to see the strong emphasis that is placed on respect for our Indigenous communities.
The Shrine of Remembrance Travelling Exhibition is a mobile exhibit that provides a history of the Shrine, featuring information panels, archival photographs and audiovisual material. The exhibit traces the Shrine’s history from concept to construction, as well as its role as a commemorative and interactive learning space.
This morning I was invited to launch the Travelling Exhibition at its first day at Ringwood Library. I was joined by Denis Baguley the CEO of the History of the Shrine Travelling Exhibition where we discussed the importance of the Shrine and its history within Victoria.
The staff at Eastern Regional Libraries should be commended for bringing the exhibition into Maroondah, where it will be available at Ringwood Library until the 30th of June.
National Reconciliation Week is held between the 27th of May and the 3rd of June and aims to foster mutual respect and wellbeing between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians.
Maroondah celebrates Reconciliation Week through an official launch, which was held today to acknowledge National Sorry Day on the 26th of May. National Sorry Day was formed in 1998 and in recognition of the Bringing Them Home Report and to acknowledge past injustices towards indigenous Australians so as to begin the process of reconciliation
Maroondah released its Reconciliation Policy in 2009 and released its Community Wellbeing Plan earlier this year. Both plans strengthen Maroondah’s approach towards reconciliation through education and strengthening wellbeing within our community.
To reaffirm Council’s ongoing commitment to reconciliation I had the pleasure of announcing the acquisition of the painting Tali by Indigenous Elder Ray Ken. The artwork depicts the story of the sandhill country around Watarru, the country of Ray’s grandmother. The artwork will be on display until the 30th of July in the foyer of Maroondah Federation Estate.
A series of events will be provided in recognition of reconciliation week, including cultural awareness training, documentaries and workshops. For further details please visit www.artsinmaroondah.com.au/ReconWeek.htm
The speech delivered at the launch of Reconciliation Week 2010 is available within this post:
Continue reading “Maroondah celebrates National Reconciliation Week”
A program of events and workshops has been organised by Council to celebrate National Reconciliation Week (27 May to 3 June) in Maroondah.
Mayor of Maroondah, Cr Alex Makin, said the program would focus on providing a variety of opportunities to explore Indigenous culture and heritage.
“I’d like to extend an invitation to the community to attend Maroondah’s Reconciliation Week Launch from 10.30am at Maroondah Federation Estate on National Sorry Day (26 May),” Cr Makin said.
“The Launch will be held on National Sorry Day to recognise the suffering and hardship suffered by Indigenous communities. It will mark the beginning of Maroondah’s Reconciliation Week activities,” Cr Makin said.
“The launch will include a Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony, a flag ceremony, the unveiling of Council’s new Indigenous artwork acquisition. Entertainment will feature a mesmerising didgeridoo performance by Indigenous performer Alan Brown,” Cr Makin said.
School workshops will run throughout the week and students will have the opportunity to participate in didgeridoo playing, traditional dance, Indigenous art making and learn about cultural awareness.
The program will conclude on Thursday 3 June with the presentation of an Indigenous documentary film focusing on Aboriginal history in Victoria. The documentary will be presented by Maroondah Movement for Reconciliation.
One of the week’s highlights will be Council’s acquisition of an artwork by Indigenous Elder Ray Ken titled Tali, which will be placed on display in the foyer of Maroondah Federation Estate until 30 July.
Visit www.maroondah.vic.gov.au for the full schedule of Reconciliation Week events and to find out how you can become involved.
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Maroondah has two Anzac Day Dawn Services, one at the Ringwood Clocktower and the other at the War Memorial in Croydon. The services are organised through the RSL branches and this morning I attended the Dawn Service along with Councillors Nora Lamont, Ann Fraser and Natalie Thomas.
The Ringwood service was attended by approximately 3000 people, demonstrating the ongoing significance of Anzac Day within Australian history. The Ringwood Branch of the RSL must be commended for organising the Dawn Service and for their generosity in providing breakfast to the attendees at the Ringwood RSL.