I want Sydney Anglicans to know about – perhaps to be a part of, and certainly to pray for – a truth-telling gathering at Kamay Botany Bay in October. This is the third event I have been part of and have found it powerful.
It is being organised so we can all come together to acknowledge the reality of Australia’s shared history and commit to a different future. It is put on by first and later Australians working together, with the support of local elders and the La Perouse Local Aboriginal Land Council.
Kamay was the site of Cook’s first encounter with the Gweagal people in 1770, and it is fitting that it should also be the place where Australians recognise the ongoing impact of this on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
When I spoke at the first two of these events, I saw how powerful this program can be, both as a journey and a partnership. Aboriginal people have recognised the truth of this country forever, but when you are standing with your brother and sister from different cultures and people groups, that starts to change mindsets.
Truth telling needs to be honest, sincere, from the heart. But it also needs to be received by the heart, not fall on deaf ears. I am hoping and trusting that God will use this truth telling to bless this nation as we journey together.
It is also a unique opportunity to hear our early shared history from the earliest written records, to hear from Indigenous people the impact of the early stages of colonisation and to hear responses from the wider Australian community to this truth telling.
At the end of the day, there will be the chance for those gathered to participate in a declaration of recognition that acknowledges the injustices of the past and commit to walking together in our resolve to make wrong things right.
As the Rev Linsday Macdowell, one of the organisers, says, “No one living in Australia today can be held responsible for what our forefathers did as far back as 255 years ago. But what we can do now is take collective ownership of the stains of our past. Doing so will set us free to look to the future”.
I’m hoping it will be an important opportunity for healing by jointly speaking truth in unity.
Space at the site limits attendance to 150 people. Tickets can be purchased here.
The Rev Michael Duckett is the Director of Indigenous Ministry in the Sydney Diocese.
