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VITAL ISSUES THAT CONCERN RECONCILIATION A PAPER PRESENTED BY EVELYN SCOTT
CHAIRPERSON TO THE ST EDMUND’S COLLEGE ASSEMBLY IPSWICH MONDAY 9 OCTOBER 2000 Principal Lucey, teachers and students of St Edmund’s College. Before I begin, I would like to acknowledge that we’re here on the country of the Jagera, Yuggera, Ugarapul and Turrbal people, the traditional owners of this area. I acknowledge the living culture of the traditional owners, and the unique contribution they make to the life of the Ipswich region. I am pleased to be able to talk to you about reconciliation today. For those of you who may not know what that word means, reconciliation is about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and all other Australians working together, understanding each other and learning to respect and trust one another. It’s also about telling the truth about our history, and getting things right for the future. You young people probably know a lot more about Aboriginal history than your parents or grandparents ever did. You see, in those days, we were only taught about the white people who came to Australia with Captain Cook. But as you know, Aboriginal people were here for 40, 000 years before that! I want to tell you why it is so important for this country to have reconciliation. I also want to give you a vision of what that reconciliation might be like, and how you can help achieve it. To give you a vision of what reconciliation can do for this country – I want to take you back to those images of Cathy Freeman at the Olympics. I am sure you and your family had your eyes glued to the television for Cathy’s win in the 400 metres. You would have seen her proudly carrying both the Aboriginal flag and the Australian flag as she made her victory lap. That was a beautiful moment for reconciliation in Australia. There was a talented, gracious Aboriginal woman proud of her Indigenous heritage and her country. Cathy is a great role model for all young people, but especially for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youngsters. She shows us that we Aboriginal people can too aspire and achieve to great heights. In the opening and closing ceremonies, too, there was a great show of the unique cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Those special songs and dances are only found in Australia. They are an important part of our nation’s identity. International visitors are very interested in seeing that culture and Australians can be proud that we have such a rich heritage that continues to be handed down from the elders to their children and their children’s children. As the Chairperson of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation, I was very pleased about all this recognition of Australia’s first peoples. The more that Australians know about the continuing cultures of Aboriginal people, the better we can understand each other, respect each other and work together. Just as we celebrate this great country’s heritage at events like the Sydney Olympics, we must also acknowledge that there were a lot of sad parts to our shared history. Since the First Fleet arrived in Australia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples were taken from their traditional lands, their children were taken from their mothers, they were punished for using their own laws, cultures and languages. Their health was devastated by new diseases brought in with the settlers and convicts from another part of the world. Today, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people still face health, education and employment disadvantages that came from that troubled history. Reconciliation is about recognising that past, and working together to make things better for all Australians in the future. Hopefully, you know that earlier this year, my Council held a very important event called Corroboree 2000 in Sydney. You might have seen the hundreds of thousands of ordinary Australians walking across the Sydney Harbour Bridge to show their support for reconciliation. Australians do want a fair go for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and for all of us. Young people like yourselves will help make that possible. You can organise a reconciliation concert, art competition, or hold a meeting and ask a local Aboriginal elder to come and tell you about the Aboriginal stories and history of the Ipswich area. You might just be able to share that information with your parents and grandparents, and perhaps be able to better respond to racist remarks. It seems that young people are more aware of the real issues involved in reconciliation, and they want it to happen in their own communities as well as in the nation as a whole. I can see an Australia whose citizens generally are aware – and proud – of their Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage. It’s a nation that’s genuinely come to terms with the awful parts of past relationships between Indigenous peoples and other Australians. It’s a nation brought together by knowledge, understanding and trust. Knowledge, understanding and trust:– they are basic building blocks for the ultimate success of reconciliation and the creation of a truly just Australian society. I have talked to many young people across this country and I am so optimistic about the future for reconciliation in this nation. It seems young people, like yourself, not only have a vision for your own future but you also have a vision for the future of this nation and kind of place that you want to live in. It is a place of fairness, of trust, of getting on with one another and of helping one another. With the vision that young people have today, I believe we’ll get there, and Australia will be a much richer country for it. Thank you.
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