A dawn of reflection as Ballarat marks Survival Day

ALL are invited to come together in a spirit of reflection and healing at Ballarat’s Survival Day Dawn Ceremony this Monday 26 January.

Lake Wendouree will once again provide the backdrop for the annual dawn gathering, hosted by the City of Ballarat’s Koorie Engagement Action Group (KEAG) advisory committee in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members.

“It’s about our coming together in solidarity and being together as a community,” KEAG co-chair Deb Lowah Clark said.

The event is a solemn recognition of the continuity and survival of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. It commemorates First Peoples who fought in the frontier wars, those who died in widespread massacres during colonisation, and remembers the Stolen Generations.

First Peoples’ cultural traditions will be central to the ceremony, with didgeridoo performances forming part of the dawn gathering. Accomplished players and teachers Tristan and Azlan Harris, of the Yidaki Troop, will perform on the morning alongside other members of the group.

City of Ballarat mayor Tracey Hargreaves said the ceremony was an important acknowledgement of the significance of 26 January for many people.

“January 26 is a day when many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples mourn and reflect as well as a day for all Australians to learn a more complete history of this country,” she said.

“We are committed to creating an inclusive city where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island peoples are respected, proud and heard.

“We welcome everybody to attend this event and unite in solidarity. We do treasure these opportunities to come together.”

The ceremony will begin at 5.30am at View Point on the lake foreshore, opposite the Lake View Hotel, and is expected to conclude around 6.45am.

A sand circle yarning space will then host yarning through to 9am.

More than 1300 people attended last year’s ceremony, with a similar turnout expected on Monday.