A Reconciliation Festival with a range of community events will be held in the Southern Grampians Shire to celebrate National Reconciliation Week 2018.
The 2018 Southern Grampians Shire Reconciliation Festival, coordinated by a partnership of organisations from across the Shire, includes an Official Welcome Ceremony featuring a smoking ceremony and indigenous dancers, indigenous children’s story-time and a Traditional Owner ‘Walk and Talk’ along the Grange Burn.
A reconciliation football game, between the Hamilton Kangaroos and Terang Mortlake will also take place on Saturday May 26 at Melville Oval, which will see the Kangaroos don a specially created indigenous football jumper.
National Reconciliation Week runs from 27 May to 3 June 2018 and aims to help all Australians learn more about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and histories, to share knowledge and help Australia grow as a nation. The theme for this year is ‘Don’t keep history a mystery’.
Local indigenous artist Charmaine Barker, a Yorta Yorta woman with Gunditjmara children, has designed the artwork for the reconciliation game match-day jumpers which the senior Hamilton Kangaroos players will wear. Charmaine explained that the three kangaroos on the front represent three different types of people - Aboriginal indigenous Australians, Torres Strait Islander and non-indigenous Australians.
“All three kangaroos are very similar but very different. They are all moving together to create a better nation. I have incorporated the Aboriginal flag and the Torres Strait Islander flag and the Southern Cross to represent all three people of this nation,” Ms Baker said.
Southern Grampians Shire Mayor Cr Mary-Ann Brown said the Reconciliation Festival promises to be an important occasion and encouraged community members of all ages to attend.
“National Reconciliation Week is a chance for us to reflect on our national identity and our history,” Cr Brown said.
“We should be proud of the rich languages, cultures and traditions of indigenous Australians, who have lived here for some 60,000 years and represent the world’s oldest continuous cultural heritage.
“This Reconciliation Festival is a great way to come together and celebrate, to share and begin to build the path for our common purpose,” Cr Brown concluded.
Full details for all the events taking place throughout National Reconciliation Week 2018 are available at www.sthgrampians.vic.gov.au