Reconciliation Victoria May 2018 Newsletter

Warning: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are advised that this eNews may include images of persons who are deceased.
Not displaying correctly?

May Reconciliation News
Special #NRW2018 Edition

Don’t Keep History a Mystery!

It’s less than a month to National Reconciliation Week 2018! This years’ theme – Don’t Keep History a Mystery – shines a light on stories from our past that have been in the shadows for too long. Stories of survival, resistance, courage and achievement that we must listen to if Australia is to embrace the truth, healing and justice that is needed to bring us together.

This dimension of reconciliation, described as “Historical Acceptance”, requires Australians to acknowledge the injustices of the past and their impacts, both historical and contemporary, and make amends for past wrongs. According to Reconciliation Australia’s latest Barometer many non-Indigenous Australians do not accept that historical injustices occurred nor see a link between these events and the disadvantage experienced by many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people today.

This year, National Reconciliation Week invites Australians to Learn, Share, Grow – by exploring our past, learning more about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and cultures and developing a deeper understanding of our national story.

Reconciliation is everybody’s business, so we invite everyone to get involved, by organising or attending an event or activity.  Last year there were around 145 events around Victoria. For event and activity ideas visit our NRW webpage and to find an event near you visit the Reconciliation Australia NRW Calendar.

Our flagship event for NRW will be the HART Awards Presentation Ceremony, which will showcase the exciting work being done by community organisations and local councils to advance reconciliation.

Read also below event details for National Sorry Day, held on Saturday 26th May.

May promises to be a big month for a couple of other reasons. The Advancing the Treaty Process with Aboriginal Victorians Bill 2018 – designed to be the road map to treaty negotiations – will be debated in Parliament this month.  And we will be launching our exciting, new-look website – keep an eye on our Facebook page for the announcement.

We hope to see you out and about at an event during National Reconciliation Week.

~ The RecVic team

Find out how you can get involved in #NRW2018: Visit our website

NRW Volunteer opportunities:

1. We’re looking for volunteers to help us out at the Reconciliation Victoria & Australia stall at the Long Walk Festival on Saturday 2 June, at Federation Square – please email the office for details

2. The Long Walk organisers are seeking volunteers to help with Registrations, Merchandise, Course Marshalls, Event Support and Start Line Assistants starting. Email
shane@perfectevents.com.au and register here

3. The Koorie Heritage Trust are seeking volunteers for:

  • Marngrook demonstration at the Long Walk Festival on Sat 2 June
  • Mabo Day Family Concert at Federation Square on Sunday 3 June (set up from 11am and/or meet & greet 1:30 – 4pm)

Email Jade Hadfield at the Trust with which event you’d like to
volunteer.

We have listed a small sample of Victorian NRW events below.  For a full listing of events visit Reconciliation Australia’s Online NRW Calendar

Aboriginal Design and Technology

Aboriginal technology, in the form of stringy bark canoes, was essential to Victoria’s development during the 19th century. Stringy bark canoe technology was used extensively by Aboriginal people across Australia, including the local Wadawurrung people, to save people from flooded rivers, deliver vital food supplies, herd livestock and even to transport a piano across swollen rivers and creeks!

Saturday 26 May
Fireside chat: 10am – 4pm
Lectures: 11am and 3pm
Alfred Deakin Place, Camp Street, Ballarat
Free event

Aboriginal Fire Technology

“It’s a practice that our old people used before European contact.
It’s the way we managed the land, and it’s the way we used fire as a tool to provide for ourselves, to provide for our habitat as well that
we live in.”

Trent Nelson, a Dja Dja Wurrung man and Parks Victoria ranger, has played a key role in a burn recently undertaken just north of Bendigo, in central Victoria.

Join Trent and Dr Fred Cahir, Federation University Australia, for an intimate lecture and conversation exploring Aboriginal heroes of Fire. Settle in with a Bushfood cocktail and discover the facts, the stories and the legendary examples of Aboriginal fire technology in Victoria.

Sunday 27 May
Session 1: 12 noon – 1.30pm
Session 2:  3pm – 4pm
The Lost Ones Basement Bar, 14 Camp Street, Ballarat
Free event

Aboriginal Astronomy

Hear from astrophysics student, Krystal De Napoli, as she shares the ways Indigenous Australians encode scientific information in their traditions and how this knowledge is passed to successive generations. Features videos of dances, songs and interviews with Elders.

Thursday 31 May
6.30pm – 8pm
Ballarat Library, 1778 Doveton Street North, Ballarat
This is a free community event, but you must register here

Find out more about Rethinking the Australian Legend

More information
Wednesday 16 May – Sunday 3 June
Official opening – Saturday 19 May, 2pm. All welcome.
Closing Tea Party – Sunday 3 June, 3pm
Open: Wed – Sun, 12-4pm.

The Highway Gallery, 14 The Highway, Mt Waverley.

An evening with Shokoofeh Azar, Claire Coleman and Alexis Wright – shortlisted writers for the Stella Prize

Claire G. Coleman’s Terra Nullius is an arresting and original novel that addresses the legacy of Australia’s violent colonial history.
Alexis Wright’s collective memoir Tracker documents the life of Tracker Tilmouth, charismatic Aboriginal leader, thinker, entrepreneur, visionary and provocateur.
Shokoofeh Azar’s powerful novel, The Engagement of the Greengage Tree is a magical book set in the political wilds of Iran.

Tuesday 22 May, 6.30 –  8pm.
Eltham Library, Panther Place, Eltham
Prepaid bookings are essential.  More information

13th Annual Victorian Aboriginal Remembrance Service 2018

Thursday 31 May

In the spirit of reconciliation, The Hon Natalie Hutchins MP, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and the Victorian Aboriginal Remembrance Committee cordially invite you to attend the 13th annual Victorian Aboriginal Remembrance Service.

You are welcome to lay a wreath or a poppy at the conclusion of the service.

11am – 12 noon, Shrine of Remembrance Forecourt, Eternal Flame, Birdwood Avenue, Melbourne

Register here  Phone 1800 762 003  Enquiries

Join Michael Long for “The Long Walk 2018” on Saturday 2nd June at Federation Square in Melbourne.  Festival starts 2pm.

Artists: Soul Chic, Russell Robertson/Phil Ceberano, Black Fire, Birdz, Hip Hop Projects 

Those who purchase Dreamtime Walker Experience package will be given the amazing opportunity to walk onto the MCG arena and be part of the pre-game entertainment! This will, of course, precede the traditional Dreamtime at the ‘G game between highly fancied Essendon Bombers and reigning premiers Richmond Tigers, a memory to truly cherish!
Find out more

Saturday June 2

Celebrating 40 years in Music for Bart Willoughby featuring special guests Shauntai Batzke, Phil Bywater, Tjimba Possum Burns, John Miller, Fadil Suna and Sermsah Suri Bin Saad.

Join Bart Willoughby and guests in the historic Fitzroy Town Hall for a night celebrating his most recent musical compositions and an unnerving 40 years of dedication to his music and his country in the spirit of Reconciliation accompanied by a culturally diverse array of collaborators.

Fitzroy Town Hall, Napier Street, Fitzroy
Doors open 7pm, show starts 7.30pm
Buy tickets

The Koorie Heritage Trust and Federation Square invite you to come together and celebrate Mabo Day with the Torres Strait Island and Aboriginal communities of Victoria, to commemorate the anniversary of the Mabo Decision.

Performances by the acclaimed Torres Strait Island dance troupe, Gerib Sik and Luke Captain and Monica Weightman. Hosted by Lisa Maza.

Sunday 3 June, 2pm – 4pm
Deakin Edge, Federation Square.
FREE EVENT  More info

The walk commences at 11am and takes about 30 minutes from Pelican Park on the Hastings foreshore and ends at the Gathering Place, concluding with a Welcome to Country, speeches and a performance by Mullum Mullum choir followed by a BBQ.

Please wear Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander colours and bring flags and banners with a reconciliation message. This event is free and open to everyone.

Further information: 5979 1391 or 0403 528 034. Register your interest on the FB event to help with catering.

NEWS

Victorian Reconciliation Network Regional Forum and Tour on Wurundjeri Country

The two-day residential forum, hosted by Reconciliation Victoria on the weekend of 14-15 April, was based near Corranderrk in Healesville, and toured to visit important cultural sites, commencing at Dights Falls on the Birrarung in Abbotsford.

In what was a wonderful and inspiring weekend, Elders of the Wurundjeri Land and Compensation Cultural Heritage Council Aboriginal Corporation, Uncle Bill Nicholson and Uncle Dave Wandin, generously shared their deep knowledge of culture, history and practice relating to the clans and lands of the Woi wurrung language group. Read more

We are very excited once again by the outstanding quality of the nominations for the 2018 HART Awards.

The finalists will be announced on our website and on Facebook on 3 May. 

The HART Awards will be presented at an event in Melbourne on Friday 1 June 2018, during National Reconciliation Week.

 Victorian Treaty Update

In a historic event for Victoria, the first ever piece of treaty legislation in Australia had its second reading in Parliament in late March. 

The Advancing the Treaty Process with Aboriginal Victorians Bill 2018 will be the road map to treaty negotiations. The Bill will be debated in Parliament this month. For more information visit Aboriginal Victoria’s website

The Aboriginal Treaty Working Group officially handed over its final report to the Victorian Treaty Advancement Commission on 7 March, delivering key recommendations on the design of the Aboriginal Representative Body.  View the Final Report

The Commission has completed the first in a state-wide series of regional roadshows to share information about the journey towards Treaty/ies and hear views from Aboriginal communities. The Commission is tasked with providing a report to Government in June 2019 on the establishment of the Aboriginal Representative Body.

The Victorian Greens have launched a Treaty Now campaign for Clans-based treaties and will be proposing some amendments to the Treaty legislation. An upcoming Talkin’ Treaty forum will discuss outcomes from the recent Clan Elders Council Treaty Gathering, at Northcote Town Hall, 6pm Tuesday May 15th.

Welcome Budget Support for
Self-Determination

Reconciliation Victoria welcomes the Victorian Government’s recent budget announcements supporting self-determination.The Victorian Budget 2018/19 will invest $116 million to support self-determination, celebrate culture and improve the lives of Aboriginal Victorians across the state. The Budget will provide $9 million to establish the elected Aboriginal Representative Body and advance Treaty.  Read more

2018 Victorian Aboriginal Honour Roll – nominations open til 27 May

The Victorian Aboriginal Honour Roll recognises the achievements of inspirational Aboriginal people who have made an important contribution to their community and the state of Victoria.

Honour Roll Roadshow
The Victorian Aboriginal Honour Roll Roadshow 2018 has officially begun, sharing the stories of Aboriginal leaders both past and present across Victoria, while on the look-out for this year’s inductees. The Honour Roll Roadshow will visit Frankston and Heywood to call for nominations and share the inspirational stories of previous Honour Roll Inductees.

More information on Roadshow and nomination process

Good and bad news in Electoral Commission recommendations

The AEC’s draft redistribution report, released last month, recommended against a change to the name of the Batman electorate in Melbourne’s inner-north, despite a number of submissions supporting a name change to Simon Wonga from the Wurundjeri Council, the Darebin Council, Reconciliation Victoria, and others.

The AEC did recommend removing the name McMillan from the South Gippsland electorate, but chose Monash over the Aboriginal names put forward.  On a more positive note, the electorate of Murray will become Nicholls in honour of Sir Douglas Ralph Nicholls and Lady Gladys Nicholls. Read more

There is still an opportunity to provide feedback to the Redistribution Committee’s recommendations.  Anyone can object and objections must be lodged by close of business on Friday, 4 May 2018.

Find out how to make an objection.  Read Darebin Council’s position on why the name of Batman should not be retained.

The Victorian Government has appointed respected reconciliation advocate Justin Mohamed as the state’s new Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People.

A Gooreng Gooreng man from Bundaberg in Queensland, Mr Mohamed has spent much of his career working in the Aboriginal health and sport sectors, improving outcomes and connections to culture for Aboriginal people, including children.

He is a leader in reconciliation, having served as the CEO of Reconciliation Australia for three years until 2017, and was most recently the CEO of Equity Health Solutions.  Read more

Dja Dja Wurrung to share in management of parks and reserves

A project, decades in the making, is coming to fruition with the release of the draft plan that will see the Dja Dja Wurrung people and the state government share management of parks and reserves in the region.

The joint management plan, released in mid-April, aims to empower the Dja Dja Wurrung community to manage six parks and reserves in central Victoria in co-operation with the state government.  Read more

Talks advance with Wotjobaluk Peoples on Recognition and Settlement Agreement

Negotiations are advancing between the Andrews Government and the Wotjobaluk Peoples to create a new Recognition and Settlement Agreement for Traditional Owners in the state’s west.

The negotiating team comprises representatives from the Wotjobaluk, Jaadwa, Jadawadjali, Wergaia and Jupagulk Peoples. The area under negotiation includes land north of the Grampians, stretching to Navarre in the east, the South Australian border in the west, and Ouyen in the north.  Read more

The national Closing the Gap agenda and the Victorian Aboriginal Affairs Framework are being updated this year.

What should stay the same and what should be different?

Visit here for Information about a forum near you, to make a submission, or complete the survey.

Port Phillip Reconciliation
Writing Competition

Don’t Keep History A Mystery

The Reconciliation Writing Competition 2018, organised by Port Phillip Citizens for Reconciliation, is open to all Victorians to explore ideas about our past and our connection with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and culture, and to develop a deeper understanding of our national story. All styles of writing are encouraged including fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Work must be original.

Download Flyer for all the details.

Reconciliation Manningham’s Jim Poulter honoured

Manningham Council has paid tribute to social advocate, Dr Jim Poulter, by presenting him the Key to the City at its April Council meeting.

Dr Jim Poulter was nominated for his contribution to Reconciliation Manningham and as a member of the Manningham University of the Third Age (U3A).

Manningham Mayor Cr Andrew Conlon said: “Jim has made a significant contribution to the reconciliation movement, working closely with Aboriginal Elders and organisations in producing educational materials on Aboriginal history and cultural practices.”

“We are honouring his lifetime of service to our City and State. He has published 25 books and sold more than 70,000 copies over 30 years.”

Support the Uluru Statement

At the Uluru First Nations Constitutional Convention, the Uluru Position Working Group was elected to move forward the reforms called for in the Uluru Statement. The Working Group calls on all Australians to take the time to read the Statement, to understand its history, and then walk with them in a movement of the Australian people for a better future.

Sign up and add your voice to those of other Australians who have supported the reforms in the Uluru Statement.
Find out more and sign here

New Indigenous recognition committee invites submissions

A new joint parliamentary committee investigating recognising Indigenous Australians in the Constitution met for the first time in late March.In a joint statement, the Co-Chairs, Labor Senator Pat Dodson and Liberal MP Julian Leeser, said the committee is looking for ‘common ground’ and a way forward on Indigenous recognition.

“We hope to hear from Australians about the next steps for recognition of First Nations peoples,” they said.  Read more

Submissions from the public have been invited by the Joint Select Committee before 11 June 2018. Should you wish to make a submission you can view the Committee’s terms of reference here.

Also see General guidance on making a submission to a parliamentary inquiry

The Melbourne University Law School has put together this Uluru Statement from the Heart: Information Booklet to help with submission writing.

Are you an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander organisation that puts culture at the heart of your governance? Is your organisation creative and effective? Does it show real leadership?
Then show your true colours, and apply for the

Indigenous Governance Awards 2018

The Awards recognise the most innovative and effective Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations, projects and initiatives from around the country, and showcase Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people determining and driving change. Applications close Saturday, June 30. Apply now

EVENTS

From left: Emma Donovan, Jessie Lloyd, Deline Briscoe and Jessica Hitchcock

“Mission Songs Project presents contemporary folk songs that continue the ancient longlines of this country. The songs speak of the daily lives of the First Peoples who were relocated from their traditional homelands to the missions. There are some well-known songs and also hidden gems that have been uncovered.”  Archie Roach AM

Friday 4 May
7pm, Rumbalara Football Netball Club, 20 Mercury Drive, Shepparton
Bookings

Mission Song Project’s CD

The Songs Back Home

is available
NOW!

Buy online or at all good music suppliers

Sunday 6 May

5pm, Hamer Hall, St Kilda Road, Melbourne

Archie Roach is thrilled to announce that award winning trio Tiddas will be reforming to join him on a national tour this May and June, to celebrate the release of his recently unearthed album Dancing With My Spirit. It’s been nearly 20 years since the women of Tiddas – Amy Saunders, Lou Bennett and Sally Dastey – have performed on stage together, so the tour will be a very special event.
Tickets and information

The Gnarrwirring Ngitj Lecture

The Sovereign Hill Museums Association

Saturday 26 May

Professor Ian D. Clark from Federation University will present the 2018 Gnarrwirring Ngitj / Learning Together Lecture on National Sorry Day.

Titled ‘Of One Blood – An Appreciation of the life of Yarley Yarmin a.k.a. Johnny Phillips, the son of Bullip Bullip (King Billy of Ballarat), 1848-1901’, this lecture will challenge the ‘myth’ that Mullawallah (a.k.a. William Wilson) was the ‘last of the Ballarat tribe’, as well as showcase Yarley Yarmin’s extraordinary life.

4.00 – 5.30pm
Sovereign Hill, Bradshaw Street, Ballarat
Free event. Register here.

Yarra Stolen Generations Marker launch

The Mayor, Councillor Daniel Nguyen, and Councillors of the City of Yarra have great pleasure in inviting you to the launch of a new public artwork commemorating the Stolen Generations – Remember Me – by Kamilaroi/Gamilaroi artist Reko Rennie. It will be officially launched by Wurundjeri Elder Uncle Colin Hunter, on the 20th anniversary of National Sorry Day.

Includes ceremony, guest speakers and performances by Deborah Cheetham AO, Kutcha Edwards, Illana Atkinson, Djirri Djirri Dance Group, Jindi Worabak Dancers, Koori Youth Will Shake Spears Dance Group and Uncle Jack Charles.

3.00pm – 5:30pm, Saturday 26 May 2018
Atherton Gardens, corner Brunswick and Gertrude Streets, Fitzroy

RSVP Now

Knox Sorry Day
Flag Raising Ceremony

Saturday 26 May

Knox City Council invites you to its annual flag raising and performance with special guests, Mullum Mullum Indigenous Gathering Place Choir and students from St John’s Primary School.

Special Guest Speaker: Aunty Daphne Milward
10.30am – 12 noon
Knox City Council, 511 Burwood Highway, Wantirna South

Wominjeka Festival 2018

A weekend of art, music, performance, film, market stalls and activities celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture in Melbourne’s west, and from across the country.

Wominjeka Festival is something that brings all people together – a Ngargee from all places and all people. 

Download the festival program here

Friday 25 May – Sunday 27 May 2018
Footscray Community Arts Centre
, 45 Moreland Street, Footscray.

Which Way Home

Friday 25 May
Saturday 26 May

1pm and 8pm

ILBIJERRI Theatre Company tells stories about what it means to be Indigenous in Australia today. Infused with humour and heart, Which Way Home draws on writer Katie Beckett’s own memories of growing up with her single Aboriginal father.

Footscray Community Arts Centre, Performance Space, 45 Moreland Street, Footscray
Full $35 / Concession $25  Bookings and information

The Australian Heritage Festival is to focus on what makes a place special, encouraging us all to embrace the future by sharing the strengths of our cultural identities.  See full program
Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne Gardens is a significant cultural site for the local Kulin people. Journey into their ancestral lands and explore their rich and thriving culture.

Daily except Saturdays
11am – 12.30pm, Birdwood Avenue, Melbourne, Victoria
Aboriginal Heritage Walks begin at the Visitor Centre, near O-Gate on Birdwood Avenue.
Information    Book tickets

Come along and enjoy gathering in the ANA hall to hear about the Dja Dja Wurrung who have inhabited this area for over 40,000 years. The talk will conclude with refreshments.

Sunday 20 May, 1.30 – 4pm.
7 High Street, Harcourt, Victoria
ANA Hall, situated in centre of town, just two minutes from exit off Calder Freeway
Information

Edited by Anita Heiss, this a collection of truly diverse stories – sometimes surprising and funny, often confronting and always illuminating – that paint a rich and detailed picture of what it means to come of age as an Aboriginal Australian. How do the formative experiences of Aboriginal Australians shape their sense of self and their sense of community? And what experiences do Aboriginal kids across the country have in common – whether they’re in the city or the suburbs or in the most remote corners of the continent?

Contributors Celeste Liddle, Zachary Penrith-Puchalski and Anita Heiss will host a frank, funny and forthright discussion of formative years and life lessons. 

Friday 1 June, 6.15 – 7.15pm.
The Wheeler Centre, 176 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne. This is a free event, but bookings are essential.
Book your tickets  More information

We respectfully acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the lands and waters of Victoria.
Follow on Facebook
Follow on Twitter
Email us
Sign up to receive this news monthly

Volunteer Opportunities

The office needs volunteers to help with website updating. And if you have a knowledge of webflow and can offer a few hours  a week we’d especially love to hear from you. Hours are flexible and you can do the work from home.  Email the office

Exhibitions

Not Good Place

Adam Ridgeway and Josh Muir

Once again, the wisdom of First Peoples cuts through illusion to remind us of the bigger picture and warn us of the error of our ways. Revealing the harsh but necessary truth about where the path of human civilisation is heading, ancestors, elders and country possess the tools to guide us through the civilised psychosis that is modern living.

Opening Event: May 3 at Blak Dot Gallery, 5:30pm
(Showing at Blak Dot from 3rd-20th May)

Kaiela Arts is proud to launch the first solo exhibition of new works by Suzanne Atkinson

Perfectly Imperfect

This exhibition is a collection of fibre, clay and works on paper.
Kaiela Arts, 137-139 High Street, Shepparton
Until Friday 25 May
Information

The art of healing: Australian Indigenous bush medicine

The art of healing: Australian Indigenous bush medicine follows the premise of Tjukurrpa (dreaming). It looks at traditional Indigenous healing practice as past, present and future simultaneously. It will present examples of healing practice from the many distinct and varied Indigenous communities throughout Australia. These will be shown through contemporary art practice and examples of plants and medicines. More information

Melbourne University Medical History Museum,
Brownless Biomedical Library, Kernot Road, Parkville

Until 29 September

Museums Victoria proudly presents Bush Mechanics, an exhibition from the National Motor Museum in partnership with History Trust of South Australia, PAW Media and Visions of Australia. Drawing on images, objects and footage from the much-loved Bush Mechanics television series (PAW Media and ABC), this exhibition explores Indigenous knowledge and ingenuity, the importance of cars to remote communities, bush life and the humour of the outback.

Until Sunday 15 July
10am – 5pm
Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre, Melbourne Museum, Nicholson Street, Carlton

More information

NGV hosts two complementary exhibitions that explore Australia’s complex colonial past and the art that emerged during and in response to this period. Presented concurrently, the two exhibitions, Colony: Australia 1770–1861 and Colony: Frontier Wars, offer two parallel experiences of the settlement of Australia.

Until 15 July
Daily, 10am – 5pm
NGV, Federation Square, Melbourne

Australia 1770-1861 –
More information

Frontier Wars –
More information

Levels 1 & 3, The Yarra Building, Federation Square, Swanston Street, Melbourne.

Baga-k gaabi brunga biik (Symbols in the sand)

A solo exhibition by Taungurung/ Wurundjeri artist, Cassie Leatham.

Featuring emu feather skirts, carvings, jewellery, ceramics, possum and kangaroo skin cloaks, Baga-k gaabi brunga biik, presents an installation of Cassie Leatham’s artistic and cultural practice created over the past two years.

The accumulated works reveal foraged and found materials sourced on Country, showcasing the artist’s use of traditional and contemporary methods to create and re-imagine cultural objects.

Until 13 May

Benim: Cloaked Histories

A solo exhibition by Wergaia/Wemba Wemba artist, Kelly Koumalatsos.

Kelly Koumalatsos explores printing techniques using possum fur, woollen blankets and other media. Incorporating historic images of Koorie people from across Victoria wearing possum skin cloaks, the prints present a layered narrative of Koorie heritage, referencing both the pre-contact cloaks worn in the images and the blankets they were replaced with during colonisation.

Until 13 May

Workshops

Monthly Workshops

Feather Flowers

Glenda Nicholls (Wadi Wadi/ Yorta Yorta/ Ngarringdjeri) will be joining us to make feather flowers. You will work with feathers, twine and wool to create beautiful artworks inspired by nature.This workshop is suitable for all skill levels.

Monday 7 May
1.30 – 2.30pm
Koorie Heritage Trust

Information
Enquiries: contact Jade Hadfield on 03 8662 6334
or email Jade

Keep an eye on the KHT Facebook page to see which artists will be coming in each month.

Koorie Heritage Trust

Monthly Weaving Workshops

Weaving Circle with Journey-Woman weaver Donna Blackall (Yorta Yorta/Taungurung).

Donna will start us on the coil weave and then take us through a variety of weaves evident in the Koorie Heritage Trust collection.

Thursday 24 May
Thursday 21 June
Thursday 26 July

2.30 – 3.30pm
Koorie Heritage Trust

Information
Enquiries: contact Jade Hadfield on 03 8662 6334
or email Jade
Bookings

Fridays are turtle-making days at Kaiela Arts

Come along and purchase a turtle-making kit and create your turtles with local artists.

Make sure that your turtle is part of the great Turtle Muster exhibition on Saturday June 30.

More information

Film

Human Rights Arts & Film Festival

3 – 17 May

This year HRAFF opens and closes with After the Apology, the redemptive story of four grandmothers brought together as unlikely activists in a battle they thought was long over, chronicling the rise of a new national movement fighting to convince the government that sorry means you don’t do it again.

This year’s festival features a number of films focusing upon justice for Australia’s First Peoples.  Read more

In cinemas now!

Celebrated by audiences at home and abroad, Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu was one of the most important and acclaimed voices to ever come out of Australia.

Gurrumul is a portrait of an artist on the brink of global reverence, and the struggles he and those closest to him faced in balancing that which mattered most to him and keeping the show on the road.

Watch Trailer

Gurrumul’s final album, Djarimirri (Child of the Rainbow) released nine months after the acclaimed musician’s death, has become  the first in an Australian Indigenous language to top the music charts in Australia. Read more

The Song Keepers

The Song Keepers documentary tells the story of women who are preserving the world’s oldest sacred songs, connecting Germany to Indigenous history through Hermannsburg, near Alice Springs. This new film was made during the women’s recent national and international tour.

Cinema Nova Read more
Also screening at The Lido in Hawthorn.
Check out the Trailer

Burrinja Film Forum

This monthly film series provides an opportunity to watch inspiring and thought-provoking films, listen to amazing stories, learn about diverse places and people, and take part in discussions with the filmmakers and other guests.

Westwind: Djalu’s Legacy

Sunday 20 May, 2pm

Didgeridoo master, shaman, and Yolngu elder Djalu Gurruwiwi, is running out of time to pass on sacred songlines, entrusted to him for the future of his people. In an effort to save his culture, Djalu breaks with tradition to travel the world, shares his music with global pop star Gotye, and inspires his son Larry, his family and community to keep Yolngu culture alive.

Milpirri: Winds of Change

Sunday 3 June – 2pm

This warm and winning film engages us with a unique cross-cultural event created and performed by the Warlpiri people of Lajamanu in the Northern Territory. Working with Tracks Dance Company from Darwin, the community brings ceremony and theatre together.

Burrinja, cnr Glenfern Road and Matson Drive, Upwey
Phone 9754 8723
More information

Reconciliation Banyule Film Nights

First Monday of each month at 7.30pm at the Ivanhoe Uniting Church, 19 Seddon Street, Ivanhoe 
More information

Monday 7 May

Whispering in our Hearts

An Aboriginal community from Australia’s tropical north west tells the story of the execution of family members at Mowla Bluff in 1916 by police and local pastoralists.

Learning

Our politics is a dreadful black comedy

– Richard Flanagan

Indigenous Australia, Anzac Day, the descent of democracy.
In a National Press Club address, Richard Flanagan examines a divided Australia which he says can be free only if it faces up to its past.

Read the speech published in The Guardian

View video from The National Press Club

Welcome to Country, by Marcia Langton, is a completely new and inclusive guidebook to Indigenous Australia and the Torres Strait Islands. In its pages, respected elder and author Professor Marcia Langton answers questions such as what does ‘country’ mean to Indigenous people.

A detailed introduction covers such topics as Indigenous languages and customs, history, native title, art and dance, storytelling, and cultural awareness and etiquette for visitors.

This is followed by a directory of Indigenous tourism experiences, organised into state and territory sections, covering galleries and festivals, communities that are open to visitors, tours and performances.

Living with the locals: Six extraordinary first contact stories of friendship and survival

by John Maynard and Victoria Haskins

Whether lost or escaped, marooned or shipwrecked, exiled or on the run, many Europeans found themselves living with the locals, immersed in their cultures and languages.

Some of these relationships were lasting and deep; many were compassionate and peaceful during a time of incredible upheaval.

These men and women had a rare opportunity that few would ever experience: to get a true and rich inside view of Aboriginal cultural life pre-contact.

Watch here

Australia’s First Treaty

Law academics Harry Hobbs and George Williams argue that the Noongar Settlement in WA is effectively Australia’s first treaty between Indigenous peoples and the State and that “Treaties are not dangerous or divisive, but can be achieved in a manner consistent with Australia’s existing public law system”.
(Australian Public Law, 16 April 2018)  Read here

Daisy Bindi: The girl who fought for more

Daisy Bindi couldn’t understand why her boss paid wages to the white workers, but not to her. She was no different to them. And neither were all the other Aboriginal workers who were being treated like slaves. In 1946 Daisy decided enough was enough. She helped lead a three-year strike which won Aboriginal workers fairer pay and better working conditions.

Narrated by singer, actor and radio presenter Christine Anu.

Listen here

Maggolee – here in this place

The Maggolee website has been developed by Reconciliation Victoria, with funding from Victorian Government, as a resource for local councils to work more closely with Aboriginal communities.

The site includes information on policy and programs, protocols and cultural awareness, Traditional Owner groups and local Aboriginal organisations, Aboriginal languages, key local contacts, news and events.

It contains information about each of the 79 Victorian local government areas, and about actions councils can take across key function areas to build closer relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and to progress reconciliation.

Maggolee has also proven to be a useful resource for teachers, educators and the wider community.

Check out Maggolee here

“Australia is on the brink of momentous change, but only if its citizens and politicians can come to new terms with the past. Indigenous recognition and a new push for a republic await action.”

Available at your newsagency or online with a subscription.

Hear Mark McKenna on RN’s Big Ideas program: Reconciliation and Recognition, recorded 11 April, 2018

The republic is an Aboriginal issue

by Megan Davis

Recognition must be at the heart of constitutional reform

Read this article from the April issue of The Monthly

ANU Reconciliation Lecture

‘Without a deep and meaningful understanding of our nation’s history, I don’t believe we can achieve reconciliation’ says Peter Yu at this year’s ANU Reconciliation Lecture, Reconciliation, Treaty Making and Nation Building on 23 February 2018.
View the lecture

Decolonizing Solidarity Book Club

This is a book club for people who want to process the insights in Decolonizing Solidarity: Dilemmas and Directions for Supporters of Indigenous Struggles (the book) and discuss how they could be put into practice.

Meets monthly on Sundays
5 – 7pm, Kathleen Syme Library, Faraday Street, Carlton
Sunday May 20
Theme 5: What are your limits? (Chapters 6 and 7)
Sunday 17 June
Theme 6: Next steps

Find out more

Birrarung Wilam (River Walk)

The Koorie Heritage Trust’s Birrarung Wilam Walk takes you through Federation Square and down to the Birrarung Wilam (Common Ground) Aboriginal art installations, experiencing the Aboriginal history of the Birrarung Marr (beside the river of mists) and Aboriginal Peoples of the Kulin Nation.

Every Thursday and Friday from 1pm to 2pm

Bookings essential
More information

Education

Our Shared History

Do you feel confident to teach the cross-curriculum priority Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures?
Suitable for both primary and secondary teachers, attendees will gain insights from local elders and the Sovereign Hill Education Team on how to most effectively and respectfully teach this area of the curriculum across History, English, Geography and Civics and Citizenship.

Wednesday 30 May
4.30 – 6pm
Sovereign Hill, Bradshaw Street, Ballarat
Bookings

Reconciliation Resource Review – Subject Guides

To support teachers and educators in embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander content and perspectives across all subject areas, the Narragunnawali team has created 15 subject-specific resource guides which can be used as part of resource evaluation and curriculum planning.

You can download the resource guide for your teaching area

•  •  •

Webinars – Intro to Narragunnawali

This year we are excited to launch a new webinar platform and registrations are now open! In these webinars, we’ll walk you through the process of developing a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), and talk you through some of the professional learning and curriculum resources that can support you in this process.

Professional Development opportunity for Early Years practitioners

The Victorian Aboriginal Education Association (VAEAI) will be running Professional Development Sessions on how services can become more inclusive of Aboriginal culture and they can better engage with Koorie families utilising their service.

Commencing July 2018. Session locations will be determined once we determine interest from educators.

More information

Koorie Stories from the Archives

Online information for teachers

KRU recently worked with the History Teacher’s Association of Victoria (HTAV) to update the resources available to teachers on our website. The Curriculum Connections developed to support teaching Footprints: The journey of Lucy and Percy Pepper now reflect the current syllabus. They can be viewed online along with the ebook here.

Footprints Touring Exhibition is also available for loan to community groups. Find out how to organise it here.

eNews layout by Julie Cattlin
Copyright © 2018 Reconciliation Victoria, All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is:
info@reconciliationvic.org.au

unsubscribe from this list | update subscription preferences

You May Also Like