Thomas Mayo shares message of hope in Torquay

ABOUT 150 people gathered at Torquay’s Grant Pavilion last week to hear First Nations author and leading Voice to Parliament referendum “Yes” campaigner Thomas Mayo speak about his new book.

Written as a beacon of hope for mob, allies and supporters, Always Was, Always Will Be considers the future of reconciliation in Australia and points the way forward.

“The book really is for all of us,” Mayo said.

“We can’t create change and be activists unless we are optimistic about a future we cannot yet see.

“We need to find that hope again, and that energy, and give that energy to other people.”

He shared his thoughts on the referendum outcome, stating he did not believe most of the people who voted “No” did so with malice, and spoke of other examples of pivotal change that were first met with opposition before eventually achieving a “Yes”.

He said he drew encouragement from the fact that most First Nations people, as well as the nation’s young people, voted “Yes”.

“We will achieve what we set out to achieve last year.

“The future is in good hands, but we cannot take that for granted.”

 

 

Mayo was joined by community leader and Koori Court Elder Aunty Fay Muir, the Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative’s Julie Saylor Briggs and Surfing Victoria Indigenous aquatics manager Jordie Campbell, who each shared their own insights into last year’s referendum and their experience reading Always Was, Always Will Be.

Aunty Fay Muir spoke of the community’s resilience and strength.

“We’re strong. We’ve been here before; we’ll get there again,” she said.

Both Ms Saylor Briggs and Mr Campbell spoke of their heartbreak and grief following the referendum result last year, and their choice to meet that result with kindness and be the change they wanted to see.

“To this day, I still feel like my heart is broken,” Ms Saylor Briggs said.

“I say it with tears running down my face… It’s like I lost someone.

“I don’t want to hate. I don’t want to be bitter.

“I honestly think with kindness, hope and decency, we can do a lot.”

 

 

She encouraged those in attendance to “talk wide and far and live a ‘Yes’ life”.

Mr Campbell said as a people, the First Nations community was resilient, but that resilience had been gained through pain and trauma and shared his hope that his children would not have to be as resilient.

He said it had been “empowering” to discover Surf Coast residents had returned one of the country’s highest “Yes” results.

The event was presented by the newly formed Surf Coast for Reconciliation community group, and member Prue Dawson helped to conclude the forum with a call to action for those eager to support the path toward reconciliation, encouraging everyone to seek out their local advocacy group and to get involved in the events to come.

Always Was, Always Will Be can be purchased at bookstores across the region, including Torquay Books.