|
RECONCILIATION AND YOUNG PEOPLE (30 minute speech to Years 6/7) A SPEECH BY
EVELYN SCOTT CHAIRPERSON COUNCIL FOR ABORIGINAL RECONCILIATION AT NAIDOC WEEK 2000 CELEBRATIONS VICTORIA PLANTATION STATE SCHOOL
FRIDAY 15 SEPTEMBER 2000
Good morning students of Years Six and Seven, staff and Principal Eiby. Once again, I would like to acknowledge the - people, the traditional owners of this land. As we always do at the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation, I acknowledge the living culture of the - people and the unique contribution they make to the life of this region. Wherever I go in Australia to talk to people about reconciliation, I always thank the Aboriginal people, the traditional owners, of the area. The reason I do that is because we at the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation want all Australians to recognise that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were here first. To put it simply, being here first means that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have special rights and relationships with the land and waters of Australia. We want to encourage other Australians to recognise and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Indigenous people of Australia. As you would have heard this morning, I come from Ingham. I grew up here.
You people, the people going through our schools today, probably understand and deal with the issues involved in reconciliation better than your parents or grandparents did. That’s because at long last, our schools have started to teach about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and culture as part of this country’s shared history. Finally, schools are teaching students about the history of this country which began over 50,000 years ago, long before British settlement. Young people are learning about the Indigenous custodianship of this land, of the Indigenous experience – our culture, our heritage, as well as the shared experiences both good and bad, of the last two hundred years. That’s a huge breakthrough. In time, your knowledge of Australia’s true history will spread through Australian society. It will make Australians more aware of their own cultural heritage. It will, therefore, make it easier for Australians to reach reconciliation. Young people across Australia take reconciliation pretty seriously. In the course of my work, I have had the chance to meet young people who have formed their own groups to advance reconciliation in their communities. For example, there is a national group called the Students who Action Reconciliation Seriously or " STARS" who get together and think of new ways to make reconciliation a part of their everyday lives…… You might remember scenes on the television news about a big walk across the Sydney Harbour Bridge for reconciliation in May this year. (Continue with reference to how Corroboree 200 will become a big part of Australia’s history of reconciliation and why) At the end of this year, the Reconciliation Council will close up shop, and it will be up to all Australians to finish the work of reconciliation. I hope you young people will take responsibility for reconciliation in your part of Australia. It might mean learning more about the culture of the Aboriginal people from around your home town. It might mean standing up against racism. It might mean doing your very best and being good to others. End with questions/ discussion with studentsI have a lot of faith in you young people – and I believe one day you will achieve the goal I have been aiming for my whole life. Thank you, and happy NAIDOC Week to you all.
|
