Wominjeka fellow travellers, welcome again to FNF and thank you for traveling with me on the road to treaty and reconciliation as we explore a tiny fraction of the histories and lore of the world’s longest existing continuous cultures, that of the Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islanders.
Sometimes while on a journey, not reading the directions properly or sometimes following well-meaning but incorrect instructions we miss an opportunity to see something really special, sometimes a once in a life time opportunity. That my friends is what I humbly think that we as a nation did two years ago on the 14th October 2023, when Australia rejected the Yes for change in our constitution to give first nations people a voice. As a society we rejected the possibilities of something unique and special, an opportunity to give an indigenous voice, to direct how governance and legislation might affect the same people that are on the receiving end of such regulations, decrees and rulings. Two years on, the silence from both sides of the referendum argument is deafening and our first nations people, in a great many of cases, have been left feeling hurt and further marginalised.
A sense of an inability to move forward in this present political climate is very evident but we must persist on this journey and there are many organisations and truthful media outlets to help us on the way. I have included a few in the references. Getting lost often happens on an odyssey such as ours but we never give up, we regroup, reassess, get a better road map and continue. I’m hoping a better road map comes soon but for that we need leaders with vision not three-word slogans.
Till next week Triganin – see you soon.
David Kerrigan,
Allwood House historian and archivist, 2025 Nillumbik Volunteer of the Year, 2025 Nillumbik Arts Advisory Board Member