The Port Phillip Citizens for Reconciliation Respectfully Acknowledges the Yalukit Willam

Mungo…

The Port Phillip Citizens for Reconciliation respectfully acknowledges the Yalukit Willam clan of the Boonwurrung Nation who are the traditional owners and custodians of the land.

This newsletter is supported by a Community Grant from the City of Port Phillipandprinted with theassistance ofthe Member for Albert Park, Martin Foley, MP. July 2012

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FROM THE CO-CHAIR

RAP launch: A beautiful poster painted by Adam Magennis was used to promote the launch of the City of Port Phillip’s Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) at the St Kilda Town Hall on 25 June. The RAP is a real achievement for the City and the community generally as “a guiding policy document developed in consultation with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander citizens for the area.” Congratulations to Todd Condie, the Council’s Indigenous Policy Officer (and colleagues) for developing it. As part of the ceremony to mark this milestone, the original Plan was ‘smoked’ – as subsequently were all those present. Speakers included Boonwurrung Elders Aunty Carolyn Briggs and Caroline Martin, Mayor Cr Rachel Powning, Reconciliation Australia Co Chair Melinda Cilento, Reconciliation Victoria’s Erin McKinnon, Local Indigenous Network’s Mark Williams and myself representing PPCfR. Special guest was Gavin Somers and everyone enjoyed the great tucker from the Black Olive. Copies of the RAP are available from the Council.

Schools: I’m happy to report that students in years 7 & 8 at Elwood College have enjoyed learning something more about Indigenous culture from Peter Judda Mackey who visited the school at the end of June. (See below, the glowing (unsolicited) report from the Gowrie Centre about Judda). Elwood is also keen for someone to come and talk to their Year 9 students next semester, which we will arrange. Meantime, Gael Wilson has met with the Vice Principal of Albert Park Primary and expects to arrange something for them in the coming months.

NAIDOC Week: It stands forNational Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee, will be commemorated nationally between 1-8 July. The theme this year is “Spirit of the Tent Embassy 40 years on” and commemorative events will held around the city. Closer to home, there will be a flag raising ceremony at St Kilda

Town Hall on Monday, 2 July at 11.00am and everyone is welcome to attend.

Guest Speaker: We were fortunate to hear from Helen Bnads at our June meeting. Originally from the Brisbane area with ties to Cherbourg, Helen has a wealth of experience working in a range of organisations, most recently Reconciliation Victoria. During her time as Project Coordinator, she met with many school students who she found “have their ears and eyes open” and want to learn about Aboriginal Australia and also the proposed changes to the Constitution. “Section 51 is racist and needs to be deleted,” Helen told us, before impressing on everyone the need o educate themselves about Constitutional Reform - and also to lobby politicians. She complimented the City of Port Phillip as being “a shining star” among Councils in Victoria.” We wish Helen well for the future.

Spreading our wings: In the past month, PPCfR has been contacted by a journalist from YLE, the Finnish broadcasting company, seeking to interview someone in Melbourne about land rights, and by the Mosaic Assoc of Australia and New Zealand (MAANZ) wanting to find someone to do a Welcome to Country at their forthcoming symposium in Melbourne. The journalist wanted “to talk about the situation of indigenous land rights in Australia at the moment, about the native title and the indigenous land rights etc. I'd like to hear the opinion of indigenous Australian about this subject: are the things good and if not, what should be done.” I directed him to Todd Condie at the Council and to Boonwurrung Elder Carolyn Briggs. For MAANZ, I suggested they contact the Melbourne City Council’s Indigenous Programs Officer, the Koorie Heritage Trust and the Wurundjeri Foundation. I believe the requests came from people viewing our website: ppcfr.org –check it out.

Rosemary Rule

Rec Vic News

The next Local Reconciliation Groups (LRG) forum will be held on Saturday, 14 July, 11am – 2.30pm, Fr Tuckers Room, Brotherhood of St Laurence, Brunswick St., Fitzroy. It’s a good opportunity to hear what other groups are doing as well as RV’s plans and activities. For further details, contact Damian O’Keefe, , 0427 030 545. For up-to-date information about activities, campaigns, local rec groups or government initiatives, visit

NAIDOC Week:

The NAIDOC Ball themed ‘Returning Unity to the Community’ will be held at Crown Casino on 7 July. Tickets for the black tie event are $120 per person or $1200 per table. For information, contact Rachel Stewart, 9448, 5944 or

Peter ‘Judda’ Mackey wows Gowrie Centre kids

Gowrie Victoria- Docklands would like to thank, Rosemary Rule and Port Phillip Citizens for Reconciliation (PPCfR) for sourcing and funding the visit of Peter 'Judda' Mackey to our centre. The visit was a fitting way to celebrate National Reconciliation Week (NRW).

The children at Docklands have been working on a project about community, which has involved them in making links with the local community, thinking about the different communities to which they belong including the central role of the family, and finding ways to make active contributions to these. The project has led to recognizing and celebrating different ways of being and doing. Through this work, educators have encouraged the children to delve into the history of the Docklands and acknowledge the traditional owners of the land. Together educators and children have been looking at the wider history of Indigenous Australians and this has raised many questions. Celebrating NRW seemed a perfect way to address these questions and examine rights, recognition and reconciliation. As educators, we wished to give the children an experience which would broaden the children's understanding of Indigenous culture which they could build on and apply to their daily lives. Rosemary Rule found the perfect solution by inviting Peter 'Judda' Mackey to the centre.

It was a chilly winter morning when Peter stepped barefoot into our centre. Patrick and Will, who had come with me to welcome him, greeted him excitedly. Patrick asked “Why don't you have any shoes and socks on” Peter explained it was more comfortable without them and that he had a sore knee. “I have a sore knee too” exclaimed Patrick. Will asked about Peter's didgeridoo and Peter played it for him. Immediately connections were being formed and the three continued their conversation all the way to Room 8.

At Room 8 Peter introduced himself as 'Judda' meaning 'Full Moon'. He showed us his didgeridoo and asked the children if they would like to join him in the garden. By working in our rooftop garden Judda made it possible for all the children in the centre to participate and he appeared undaunted by the prospect of working with 150 children!

Judda's calm and gentle manner encouraged the children to gather round, and one blow of the didgeridoo attracted a large gathering. Judda respected the children's rights to choose to participate and allowed them to come and go as they wished; most wished to stay.

The children listened, asked questions and shared their knowledge with Judda. Judda appeared to share our philosophy, recognising the rights of children as important active agents of the community. Judda listened and responded to their ideas and they were all eager to show him their dances and their art work.

Judda began by explaining the significance of his culture, community and family explaining how he wished to share these with us. He showed us how his parents are represented through the colours on his didgeridoo, which allowed him to take them with him everywhere. Judda successfully blended the old with the new, merging the traditional with the modern through his paintings, oral storytelling, music and dance. Judda told the children how his painting would tell a story and explained how this comes from within. He emphasised the importance of thinking, and taking time and care. Judda described how traditionally the artist would chew the paint and spit it out- he however, was going to use pan brushes to make the Milky Way under which the story would be told. Judda painted a traditional campfire, where the community would sit, eat and share stories. As Judda painted the waterholes Rufus recalled “I have a book about water holes where you catch fish but I don't do that because I am a vegetarian!” Judda created traditional elements for his story; the campfire with the elders sitting round, the waterholes and the journey paths. Judda then made it personal and relevant to the children by telling a new story “this is my journey path here (to Docklands) and home, this is my kinder and these are where I play (the water holes).”

Judda continued his visit by playing 'the song of the Emu' and the' Kangaroo dance' on the didgeridoo, as well as making traffic noises and William's name. He invited us to join him in the dance of the Emu and the Kangaroo, where the children were eager for him to see their interpretations. Before leaving, Judda spent time in the Room 8 and 9 art room where he shared his techniques and the children created their own stories.

Judda left us a gift of knowledge and increased understanding of his culture. What he left behind was evident in the subsequent work and words of the children. When Miles, aged 3 was found blowing down a plastic pipe he said "This is my didgeridoo, it used to be a trumpet, but now it's a didgeridoo". Will, who missed Judda's visit but was told all about it by his friend Amelie, created his own painting in which he told the story of his family. "We are eating and talking," he explained, "Then I go to day care, and this is my journey there." A few days later when using their rhythm sticks, some of which are painted with indigenous art, the children explained to the educator “the circles are the camp fires and the white dots are the people sitting around it.”

Thank you to Judda and PPCfR for sharing your knowledge with us and for giving the children a broader understanding of the world in which they live.

Karen Bonson

Mabo – and the future

On 3 June,2012 people around the country celebratedthe 20 years since Eddie Koiki Mabo's historic victory in the High Court. Mabo challenged two centuries of legal doctrine when he asked for recognition as the traditional owner of his land. Prime Minister Gillard said: “Mabo fundamentally readjusted the terms upon which black Australians and white Australiansshare this land, reaching across two centuries to erase our nation's founding lie, the lie of terranullius. Instead, Mabo acknowledged and affirmed in law what Indigenous Australians always knew: this land was not empty and vacant, but occupied by a proud and ancient people whomaintained the oldest culture on earth.'The Mabo decision led to the passage of the Native Title Act in 1993 – one of the longest and most complex pieces of legislation in Australian history. It promised to 'rectify past injustices' and raised hopes that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' lives would bemeasurably improved through recognition of land rights. But, 20 years on, native title litigation has become an 'impenetrable jungle' – complex, costly and slow, with the odds weighted against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander claimants. At the Native Title Conference held in Townsville in June, the Attorney General, the Hon Nicola Roxon, announced a number of changes to the Native Title Act. These changes would make improvements to good faith negotiations, enable more flexible agreement-making, make native title payments tax-free and enable parties to agree to ignore historical extinguishment on certain land. These changes are welcome, however Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders made their position last week clear – incremental reform is not enough. As Brian Wyatt of the National Native Title Council said, “We can no longer tolerate our old people dying while successive governments simply tinker around the edges.” 20 years on, it's time to consider more fundamental changes, includingreversing the onus to prove connection to country from native title claimants to the State. Claimants are currentlyrequired to prove continuous connection to country over hundreds of years with limited documentary proof anddespite the impact of dispossession and forced removals. Reversing the onus of proof wouldplace the burden to disprove connection on those with the resources and access to historical records. It would also expedite the claims process.

The promise in the Native Title Act to provide for 'the advancement' of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples has also not been realised. Native title rights largely exclude commercial rights and fail to recognise existing rights to resources. While both the Government and Opposition have recognised the potential role of native title in economic development, neither have pursued the reforms necessary to enable this development. Native title claimants cannot wait another 20 years.

This is about justice and fairness -- it is time for reform. Stand with the National Native Title Council and ANTaR to call for reform of the Native Title Act to create a fairer system for the future. Specifically, we are advocating for reform to:
• lower the bar for the recognition of native title, including by introducing a rebuttable presumption of continuity;
• redefine 'traditional culture' to recognise the dynamic and living nature of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures;
• raise the bar for proving extinguishment of native title rights (currently too low);
• provide for recognition of commercial rights to land to support economic development; and
• ensure consistency with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Visit ANTAR, www:antar.org.au for more information about Mabo and Native Title.

Stronger Futures

The Federal Government’s controversial Stronger Futures legislation was due to come before the Senate on27th June. Many letters/petitions have been sent to MinisterJenny Macklin opposing the changes, including from The National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples and Catholic Religious Australia. To keep abreast of the issues and developments, visit

Invitation to an award presentation

Rio Tinto and the Murrup Barak, Melbourne Institute for Indigenous Development, invite you to attend the award presentation and exhibition for the Rio Tinto Award for Excellence and Innovation in Indigenous Higher Education.

The Award is offered as an initiative of the partnership between Murrup Barak and Rio Tinto, to recognize and promote high quality teaching, curriculum and community engagement programs that contribute to Indigenous development.

The winner of the 2012 award is the Bower Studio led by Dr David O’Brien. The Bower Studio is a Master-level architecture studio in which students consult with indigenous communities to design and build structures to improve the built environment. The studio has been operating for four years and during that time teams of students have worked with communities in Darwin, the Pilbara and Cape York to design and renovate housing, construct two computer centres and an early childhood learning centre.

An exhibition of the projects undertaken by the Bower Studio is being held at the Faculty of Architecture Building and Planning from Monday 23 to Friday 27 July. The award ceremony is being held on the final evening of the exhibition.

Allison Stout

ILBIJERRI THEATRE

Being at the last performance in Melbourne of Ilbijerri Theatre Company's production was an extraordinary experience. This longest running indigenous company from Western Australia presented a "darkly comic play based on varying written and oral accounts of the Pinjarra massacre of 1834."

The play, which was sometimes interactive with the onlookers, received a standing ovation from the packed audience at the Footscray Community Arts Centre.

In a conversation after the performance people asked questions and made comments. Oneindigenous woman from Victoria said that she had been so impressed with the play that she sought permission to present a lament for her own tribe. This she proceeded to sing in language for about half a minute and it was a deeply moving moment for everyone present.