Yugara word of the week:

Hand – Marra (mah-rah)

Reconciliation in Australia has long been symbolised by a  Sea of Hands, and so it’s appropriate that, for this newsletter, we include the Yugara word for hand – marra. It reminds us that we can all put up our hands in support of reconciliation.

Next week is a big week in the Australian calendar. It begins with National Sorry Day on 26 May. This commemorates the day in 1997 that the final report of the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal Children from their Families was tabled in parliament. That a National Sorry Day be held each year was one of the recommendations of this report, also known as the Bringing Them Home report, and that has happened every year since 1998.

National Sorry Day is always followed by National Reconciliation Week which runs for 27 May to June 3. These dates commemorate two important milestones in Australian history – the successful 1967 referendum, and the High Court’s Mabo decision.

The theme for Reconciliation Week in 2020 is ‘In This Together' and it hard to think of a more relevant theme in this time of a global crisis. It reminds us that we are connected and whatever our circumstances and wherever we are, we are all in this together.

2020 marks two decades since Australians came together all over the country to walk across bridges and roads in solidarity and support for reconciliation. Twenty years later, it’s good to remember that reconciliation is a journey that we are all in together.

If you’re interested, you can take a look at a Reconciliation Week e-book reading list and Reconciliation Week online viewing list.

What is Kalari?

Kalari means ‘message stick’ in Yugara language and is name of the YSS Indigenous Working Group.