Extracts from a report of a public forum held at the University of South Australia in May 1997
Professor Denise Bradley AO, Vice Chancellor
The University is proud to make a public commitment to the
process of reconciliation between Indigenous and other Australians.
The University was founded at the same promising moment in
Australian history that the Parliament voted unanimously to
establish the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation. The University
acknowledges Indigenous peoples as the first peoples of this land
and as the keepers of the oldest living continuous cultures on this
planet. Within the University we firmly believe that a mutual
respect for rights and a willingness to understand our history is
essential if Australia is to heal the wounds of the past and undergo
a process of national renewal which will allow us to look outward to
the world as a strong, confident and harmonious nation.
Associate Professor Eleanor Ramsey, Pro Vice Chancellor
(Equity and Academic Support)
The University of South Australia's public forum on Australian
Reconciliation was held in May 1997, some thirty years after the
1967 referendum which was such a significant milestone in the
relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians and
within days of the historic Australian Reconciliation Convention. In
holding the forum at this time, the University intended to make a
positive contribution to the process of community awareness and
involvement underpinning the National Convention. The University was
conscious of the potential of the Convention to set an agenda for
the achievement of Reconciliation, and of the opportunity to achieve
deep and lasting change towards a more mature, harmonious and
confident Australian nationhood.
The University of South Australia has been, from its inception, proud to be a national leader in the provision of higher education for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from all over Australia, and internationally with respect to academic and research programs about Indigenous issues. In this context, the University was determined to publicly express its commitment to the achievement of Reconciliation and to challenge the views of those who would prevent it. The speakers at the forum, and the discussion from the floor, inspired, informed and challenged those present in terms of critical role we each have to play in this process, both publicly and privately. The University thanks the speakers and others who contributed to the discussion for their wisdom and courage. This booklet of the proceedings of the forum has been produced in the hope that it will have a similar impact on an even wider audience.
Cherie Watkins, Kaurna Representative
I am a teacher of the Kaurna language, and a Kaurna and
Ngarrindjeri descendent. I work at Kaurna Plains School, Para-West
Adult Campus, Tauondi Aboriginal College and Salisbury North School.
On behalf of the Kaurna elders and the Kaurna people, I welcome you to this reconciliation meeting.
It is important that we ackowledge the original owners of the land we are now standing on, the Kaurna people. It is a beautiful land and the Kaurna people belong to this land. We love this land and it is still our land.
We have lived here from the beginning. We saw the first ships come to this land. The campfires of the Kaurna people have long since gone out but we can still feel the warmth in our hearts. We will be here forever and we will rekindle those flames are here amongst us today. The most important of those people are our children.
The children from Kaurna Plains School have come along today to be with us and to listen. This is important because these children will be carrying on our traditions.
Reconciliation is about people putting aside their differences and embracing each other's cultures and beliefs.
Not far from here was the first Aboriginal school, Piltawodli. I have walked along the banks of the River Torrens with teachers and students to try to find something of the original school. Sadly, there is nothing left to tell us that it was there.
Kaurna culture is a beautiful culture. Those of you who are part of our culture know that. We would like to impart some of that culture to everyone as part of reconciliation. The land, our mother, is crying out for respect: respect for the land and all those who live in and on the land. The feathered friends, the swimmers, the furry ones, the scaly ones, the trees and all the plants that grow are all part of this beautiful land, and they all have a message for each and everyone of us.
One of the greatest gifts Aboriginal people have to give is our spirituality. It is our gift to this nation. As we embrace you with our love and our caring and sharing, I ask that you also embrace our culture and beliefs. Close your eyes for a minute and breath in the spirit of our land. Breath in the Dreaming of our people. It is very good for the soul. Open up your hearts to the spirit of our land and breath in the Dreaming of her people.
