‘Deeply repugnant’ behaviour towards Anglican Aboriginal elder on Anzac Day

Archbishop of Sydney

 

Public Statement

“Such treatment of a respected elder was deeply repugnant, utterly unacceptable...”

Archbishop Kanishka Raffel has decried the "deeply repugnant" treatment of Aboriginal Elder Uncle Ray Minniecon at an Anzac Day service, as the Diocese prepares to hear the "untold stories” of Indigenous Anglicans.

“Uncle Ray Minniecon is an honoured elder and brother in Christ who has ministered among his people and in the wider community for decades, with compassion, faith and grace in the face of racism, the intergenerational impact of forced removal (the Stolen Generations) and dispossession,” the Archbishop said. “The ugly behaviour of being booed on Anzac Day was a sickening window into the experience of Aboriginal people right up to today.”
“Uncle Ray, who was wearing his service medals at the time, responded with characteristic dignity and courage. I’m grateful for his leadership and example.”

The Archbishop’s comments come as his Indigenous History Project moves from theory to testimony next week as stories are shared in a gathering at historic Glebe.

Indigenous churches and representatives from Nowra, Glebe, Macarthur and Mt Druitt will tell personal stories of their interactions with the diocese across generations. 

The gathering will be at Tranby in Glebe, the area of the original 1790 land grant by Governor Arthur Phillip to the Reverend Richard Johnson, the Chaplain of the First Fleet.

Pastor Minniecon, a founder of the Scarred Tree Ministries at St John’s in Glebe, will join the day.

The Archbishop said the actions of Anzac Day revealed a troubling ignorance of Australia’s shared history.

 "Such treatment of a respected elder was deeply repugnant, utterly unacceptable and distressing for many,” he said. “Aboriginal blood was shed at Gallipoli too – even though Aboriginal people were officially banned from enlisting for service and did not enjoy the same rights as their white Australian comrades-in-arms at the time.”   

Archbishop Raffel describes the Glebe gathering as “an invitation to our Indigenous brothers and sisters in Christ to share their stories of engagement with our diocese so that we can gain a better understanding of our sometimes painful history and grow as members of our Sydney Anglican fellowship. I think that’s an important part of continuing to build genuine partnership, as peoples reconciled at the cross, to see the gospel reach people 'from every tribe and language' across our diocese.”