Australians are being urged to walk for reconciliation and justice to support National Reconciliation Week.
This year National Reconciliation Week is from May 27 to June. This year’s theme is “Bridging Now to Next”.
It is 25 years since a quarter of a million people walked across the Sydney Harbour Bridge as a symbol of hope and support for reconciliation with indigenous Australians.
In the intervening period there have been a number of milestones including the apology for the stolen generation, the establishment of the ‘closing the gap’ program and most notably, the Makarrata Commission and the Uluṟu Statement from the Heart.
There have also been set backs, most notably the failure of the referendum to recognise indigenous Australians in the Constitution and establish a Voice to Parliament and the slow progress in meeting the Closing the Gap objectives.
Understandably, indigenous people and those who supported the referendum have expressed great sadness and disappointment with the no vote and the slow progress in addressing the discrimination and inequality experienced by indigenous people.
Reflecting on the outcome of the referendum and the now cautious support from government, including the Hepburn Shire, indigenous organisations have increasingly focused on a longer term agenda of truth telling and justice for indigenous people.
The Hepburn Shire is on the traditional lands of the Dja Dja Wurrung people, who have a deep and enduring connection to the region. European contact intensified in the 1830s with the arrival of pastoralists, including John Hepburn, after whom the shire is named.
This period was marked by significant displacement and trauma for the Dja Dja Wurrung, with massacres and dispossession of their lands. The gold rush in the 1850s further accelerated European settlement, bringing a diverse influx of migrants.
Despite the devastating impact of colonization, the Dja Dja Wurrung people have shown immense resilience, maintaining their cultural practices and connection to Country.
Although little has been done this year to acknowledge reconciliation week locally by Hepburn Shire, the Council has worked toward reconciliation, acknowledging the Dja Dja Wurrung as Traditional Owners and implementing initiatives like the renaming of “Jim Crow Creek” to Larni Barramal Yaluk, and establishing memorials to honour Aboriginal lives lost during the Frontier Wars.
