Surf Coast rallies behind walk for truth

A HISTORIC walk for truth raising awareness for Australia’s first truth-telling inquiry passed through the Surf Coast this week, bringing together Indigenous leaders, local mob and allies.

About 500 people gathered at the Modewarre Memorial Hall on Monday to join Commissioner Travis Lovett, the deputy chair of the Yoorrook Justice Commission (Yoorrook), for the first local public leg of his 400km walk from Portland to Parliament House to deliver the inquiry’s final report.

The report, which has been more than four years in the making, will establish an official record of the impact of colonisation of First Peoples in Victoria and includes more than 100 recommendations across areas such as health, education and youth justice.

On Monday, Commissioner Lovett was welcomed to Wadawurrung Country by Traditional Owner Corrina Eccles, where he received the third of the six message sticks he will collect from Elders as he travels through their respective Countries on his journey toward Spring Street.

Wadawurrung woman Corrina Eccles addresses the crowd after the walk, sharing both the pain Community has faced since the referendum and her joy at the local showing of support for the Walk for Truth.

Cultural educator Ash Skinner then conducted a smoking ceremony, encouraging all to walk together with strength, spirit and pride, before the large group embarked on a 4km journey through the countryside to Moriac’s Newling Reserve, the rain finally easing as they set out.

“So many people have showed up; it’s incredibly overwhelming. It’s not the number that’s always the measure of success, it’s the quality of the conversations that we’ve had, and we’ve had quite a number of those,” Commissioner Lovett said.

“We’ve really worked hard across this commission, over the four-year journey, to document the lived experiences of our people and turn them into recommendations for change and transformation and also to go through and negotiate a treaty, hopefully by the end of the year.

“Please do not sleep on the office public record. For the first time in Australian history, our people get to write the full history of what’s happened since colonisation – the traumas, the strength and the resistance, because we’ve had to be resistant to keep our culture alive and strong.”