August 22, 1998
Following is an article from one of our Melbourne churches. The indigenous Pastor mentioned towards the end is Rev. Graham Paulson and the programme - the National Indigenous Training Association to be based at Bimbadeen, Cootamundra, NSW.
This article was prepared at the request of Tracks magazine, the official publication of Australians for Reconciliation in August 1998.
RECONCILIATION AT THE LOCAL LEVEL
I am part of a small group of people at Ashburton Baptist Church who realised that if Reconciliation means anything, it means involvement at the local level. Toward the end of 1997, we began a process of education and information sharing with the view to deepening our understanding of Australia’s indigenous peoples. Our learning process began with an 8-week Reconciliation Study Circle (materials provided by Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation), and a 3-week series of Listening to the Stories of Aboriginal women. At the beginning of 1998 we began visits to exhibitions of Aboriginal Art, and in May, the Wellspring Centre conducted a 4-week Series on Reconciliation, led by indigenous people, and addressing several important reconciliation issues. These issues included the journey from ignorance to awareness for non-indigenous Australians; the multigenerational impact of the forced removal of indigenous children from their families and communities; the relationship between land and people; and the kind of future young indigenous and non-indigenous Australians are hoping to create. About sixty people took advantage of the above learning opportunities. At the same time, we wanted to meet with indigenous people on a regular basis, so we set up our Fourth Fridays Reconciliation Get-Togethers, beginning in March 1998. A local historian and various indigenous men and women have been our guests, introducing us to a wide range of information, experiences, thoughts and ideas. Fifteen people attend these get-togethers on a regular basis, and many others have attended from time to time – with the largest number coming to hear Che Cockatoo-Collins speak during July. With the above ongoing process well established, we wanted to become involved in some practical action that might take us even further in our journey with Reconciliation. We formed a small Reconciliation Task Force that spent quite a few months exploring various options for our involvement. Our group has accepted an invitation to assist an indigenous Baptist pastor establish a training program he has been working towards establishing for many years. Although we did not necessarily set out with a model in mind, we now realise that we have developed a process involving education, encounter, and action. We all feel incredibly privileged to be playing our part in building relationships of reconciliation all over our nation.
Julie Renner, Glen Iris, Victoria
