THE city\u2019s first Survival Day Dawn Ceremony is a finalist in the state\u2019s Helping Achieve Reconciliation Together Awards.<\/p>\n
An initiative of Ballarat\u2019s Koorie Engagement Action Group, the service was held at View Point on Australia Day this year from 5.30am. Indigenous leaders addressed the survival and strength of First Nations Peoples, their culture, communities and determination to secure a positive future.<\/p>\n
KEAG member, Sissy Austin said the team was proud of their community event which generated discussion and had a larger impact than initially expected.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt started as a conversation in a coffee shop. It was Nikki Foy\u2019s idea, she brought it to KEAG and all of us got behind it. I remember Nikki saying, \u2018if we get 10 people, I\u2019ll be happy,\u2019 and we had over 1000 people attend,\u201d Ms Austin said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s been an ongoing conversation about the event and how it made people feel who attended it, so it\u2019s been really moving. It\u2019s been a lightbulb moment… People have come up to me and said they were there and talked about the emotions it\u2019s triggered within them.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving the Dawn Ceremony has brought our emotion to the surface and non-indigenous community members are now feeling our pain for once,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
KEAG is grateful to have their \u201chard work\u201d acknowledged by Reconciliation Victoria, whether they win a HART Award or not.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing nominated, I hope other councils or communities see what we\u2019ve done and what can be done if you get a group together,\u201d Ms Austin said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe event will definitely happen again. It\u2019s the start of quite a big change within Ballarat, and the receptiveness makes me feel proud to be here in this community. The positives outweigh the negative for once.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
THE city\u2019s first Survival Day Dawn Ceremony is a finalist in the state\u2019s Helping Achieve Reconciliation Together Awards. An initiative of Ballarat\u2019s Koorie Engagement Action Group, the service was held at View Point on Australia Day this year from 5.30am. Indigenous leaders addressed the survival and strength of First Nations Peoples, their culture, communities and […]<\/p>\n