Reconciliation in the Park to return for 15th year

THE local community will join together next weekend for a day of music, dance and cultural learning for the annual Reconciliation in the Park.

Hosted by the Geelong One Fire Reconciliation Group, the event will take place on June 2 at Geelong’s Johnstone Park between 10am-3pm.

Now in its 15th year, the festival initially evolved from a desire to engage the broader community in local reconciliation activities and provide a space to facilitate and promote an understanding of Djillong/Geelong history and culture.

Attendees will have the opportunity to learn through hands-on activities, such as basket-making, boomerang painting and the creation of flower crowns, with members from the local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.

The celebration will again feature market stalls with creative works by local Aboriginal artists for sale.

The event aligns with National Reconciliation Week (May 27 to June 3) and champions this year’s theme, “Now More Than Ever”, with all encouraged to attend, to be a part of truth telling and contribute to creating a strong community with the leadership of First Nations people.

National Sorry Day will begin the week, and will be marked locally at the Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-Operative at 62 Morgan Street, North Geelong on Monday, May 27 from 11am to 1pm.

“The Apology to the Stolen Generations was significant – it acknowledged the pain and trauma caused by the forced removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families and communities,” Geelong MP Christine Couzens said.

“Sorry Day is an important day for First Peoples, it commemorates the Stolen Generations, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who were forcibly separated from their families.

“It is a reminder of the wrongs of the past, the profound injustices and intergenerational trauma endured by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.”

She urged the community to come along to the various National Reconciliation Week events being held across the region.

“It is also a time for all of us to learn about the truth of our Australian history, the beauty of the First Peoples cultures and of their determination since colonisation,” she said.

“It is up to all of us to educate ourselves. Reconciliation Week is a great opportunity to do that, to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in this country with First Peoples.”

For more information, head to facebook.com/recinthepark