Mungo…
The Port Phillip Citizens for Reconciliation respectfully acknowledges the Yalukit Wilum
clan of the BoonWurrung Nation who are the traditional owners and custodians of the land.
This newsletter is supported by a Community Grant from the City of Port Phillip and printed with the assistance of the Member
for Albert Park, Martin Foley, MP. February 2014
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FROM THE CO-CHAIR
Wominjeka – welcome: Another year - and another chance to help promote issues relating to reconciliation and encourage people to become engaged in the campaign for constitutional reform. I urge members who are not actively involved with the group to think how they might be able to contribute to PPCfR’s work and also welcome ideas about how we can make connections with other groups, organisations, schools, or that might strengthen those we already have. If you’re not able to come along to meetings, ring or email me with your suggestions. Our first one for 2014 is on the 18th. We’ll likely discuss proposed activities for the year, including potential work in local schools and welcome input.
Good news: Adam Goodes being named Australian of the Year and Fred Chaney named as Senior Australian of the Year was and is amazingly wonderful news. Goodes’ willingness to speak about racism and to push for constitutional change is most heartening. I look forward to hearing more from these impressive men during 2014. And congratulations to PPCfR member Meg Davoren-Honey. Meg received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) “for service to the visual arts, and to the community” in the Australian Day honours roll.
Events: It’s festival time again and locally, PPCfR will be hosting an information table at the Yalukit Wilum Ngargee Festival on Saturday, 1st February in O’Donnell Gardens, St Kilda from 12.30pm. The line-up of entertainment is impressive and includes activities for children as well as visiting the various information stalls – including ours of course. We have also been invited to have a stall at the Port Melbourne Neighbourhood Community Carnival being held in Liardet Street on Saturday, 22 February. Keen to ensure some Aboriginal involvement in the festival, we have arranged for Aunty Judith Jacko Jackson to do an Acknowledgement to Country and for Peter Judda Mackay to entertain, and educate, children in his most engaging way. Inside there is more news about
a dazzlingly array of events being staged during the Melbourne Indigenous Arts Festival.
Our Rainbow Place: It was a pleasant surprise to hear PPCfR’s name mentioned and thanked for being a key supporter of Our Rainbow Place at the official opening of their new premises, The Cottage behind Inner South Community Health Services at 18 Mitford Street, St Kilda. ORP is a popular gathering place for local Aboriginal people every second Thursday and several of our members volunteer their help serving lunches. If you’d like to know more, contact the Indigenous Access and Program Coordinator at ISCHS.
Speakers: It’s been our custom to invite people to come to meetings and talk about their lives and work. We’ve heard some pretty inspiring stories from among others, Deborah Cheetham, Dean Stewart, Leila Gurruwiwi, Kyle vander Kype and Mark Williams. As well as being interesting and informative, I always feel privileged to have had the opportunity to spend a bit of time with each person in a fairly intimate and informal setting. If you know someone you think would be willing to come along and speak at a meeting during the year, let me know.
Co-Chair: Dennis Fisher, alias Den the Fish and my PPCfR Co-Chair, is a multi-talented man: poet, broadcaster, guide, story teller and more besides. Den wrote a poem especially for Christmas and although the day has passed, the sentiment he expresses is not bound by the constraints of time. Den’s poem is included in this issue of Mungo for your reading pleasure.
Rosemary Rule
PM on Constitutional reform
Prime Minister Tony Abbott has said he will use 2014 to start a "conversation" about recognising Indigenous Australians in the constitution. "I will also start the conversation about a constitutional referendum to recognise the first Australians. This would complete our constitution rather than change it." The PM’s intention was welcomed by Warren Mundine, the head of the Prime Minister's Indigenous Advisory Council who said that more debate will be needed to build a strong case for change.
“For it to be successful, the proposed wording will need to be right... I think we just need to get on with the job and start getting the wording right. “It's not only just about the majority of people supporting it, but you have to get a majority of states,” Mundine said. “That double whammy makes it a bit more difficult, so I suggest caution. But at the same time I think we just need to get on with the job and start getting the wording right." Acting Greens leader Richard Di Natale said the announcement is encouraging.
"The rhetoric from Tony Abbott is good. I'm worried that he won't follow through so we'll be holding him to account on that," he said. The PM has repeated his promise to release a draft proposal for constitutional change for public consultation by September; he has not set a timeframe for a referendum.
Constitutional Recognition
RecVic welcomes the appointment of Mr Ken Wyatt AM, MP as chair of the newly appointed Joint Select Committee on the Constitutional Recognition of Australia’s First Peoples. The Journey to Recognise This is a campaign to engage young people around the importance of Constitutional Recognition. If you think your organisation/local area would value conversations around Constitutional Recognition, would like promotional material at your next event, please contact Emily, for more information.
ANTAR NewsWe have received news that the Abbott Government intends
to defund a number of organisations servicing Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander people. These include National
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services (NATSILS) and the National Congress of Australia's First Peoples. In addition, the National Aboriginal
Family Violence Prevention Legal Services program was
advised of $3.6 million in cuts over the next three years. This
organisation is dedicated to providing legal and support
services to survivors of family violence to keep them safe.
The Abbott Government has decided to defund the lead
agency in this campaign, the National Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander Legal Services (NATSILS). NATSILS and law
reform and policy officers in state based ATSILS work with
governments to address the underlying causes of Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander incarceration, through evidenced
based policy development, education and diversionary and
prevention programs. This decision is an attack on community
safety and will result in more Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander people in prison. We need to raise the alarm and
demand a reversal of this decision.
The more Australians know about this plan, the greater
encouragement the Abbott Government will have to review
their decision. We are looking to buy some prime newspaper
advertising space to publish an open letter making strong
arguments for the importance of retaining NATSILS.
Incarceration rates continue rise without making communities
any safer. In order to turn this situation around we need to
develop sound, evidence-based policies. It makes no sense
to defund the organisations best able to do this. Please help
ANTaR contribute to this advertisement. Donate now.
To learn more, visit .
Local Reconciliation Groups
Reconciliation Victoria and ANTaR Vic will co-host the first
LRG meeting for 2014 on Saturday, February 22, 11am-12.30, Fr Tuckers Room, Brotherhood of Brotherhoood of St Laurence, 67 Brunswick St, Fitzroy (enter
via rear, off Fitzroy St). All welcome.
UtopiaNoted filmmaker Richard Frankland will attend the screening
of ‘Utopia” by John Pilger about Aboriginal Australia on
Tuesday, 4 February, 6.30pm at Storey Hall, 342-344
Swanston Street, Melbourne. The event will also incorporate
the launch by Alistair Nicholson of ‘In the Absence of Treaty’
published by concerned Australians. Entry is free. For
bookings go to: or ring
9415 7164. The screening is sponsored by concerned
australians, Arena and Global Indigeneity and Reconciliation,
RMIT Global Cities.
Melbourne Indigenous Arts Festival (MIAF)
Celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture with a diverse range of events spanning music, theatre, dance, cabaret, visual arts, film and conversations presented by The City of Melbourne is from 5 to 16 February and showcasing 42 events in a variety of key arts venues across the city.
The 12-day festival will open at the Melbourne Recital Centre with the talented soprano and MIAF ambassador, Deborah Cheetham, who will share the unique and intimate story of her journey of discovering her belonging. ‘Til the Black Lady Sings’ features music by Catalani, Cilea, Dvorak, Puccini, Strauss, Vaughan Williams and Cheetham. The opening weekend of the Festival is packed full of free music at Federation Square with an outstanding selection of Australia’s finest performers, including the legendary Archie Roach, multi-talented songstress Jessica Mauboy, Nathan Lovett-Murray’s Payback Records Hip Hop Showcase, Yung Warriors, Christine Ward, X Factor’s Ellie Lovegrove and many more. The highly anticipated event is ‘We Still Live On’ where pioneering Aboriginal reggae rock artist, Bart Willoughby, will perform on the Melbourne Town Hall’s iconic Grand Organ. Willoughby and his guest, Deline Briscoe, will pay homage to the late poet and activist Kevin Gilbert as they meld traditional Indigenous culture, didgeridoo and the classical pipes of the Grand Organ.
Another coup of the festival’s program is the world premiere of Tiriki Onus’ ‘William and Mary’ which tells the story of activists Bill Onus and Mary Kelly using elements of theatre, storytelling, classical folk song and operatic performance. Traditional dance groups from around Victoria will come together for Koorioboree – a cultural gathering and dance event that will celebrate a resilient culture through dance and song. Afterwards, there will be a special performance from the Australian Capital Territory Torres Strait Islander Dance Group.
MIAF continued)
Acclaimed Indigenous dance artist Albert David will teach some of his best dance moves at the free and family friendly ‘1st Friday Dance Club’ on Friday 7 February. Other highlights include Blak Cabaret, featuring the deadliest mob of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander comedy, music, poetry and dance. Many of the performers are Traditional Owners of Victoria with the rest of the mob residing in our fine state, so make sure to get your tickets early because this show will sell out the theatre but not its people.
The Blak Cabaret includes: MC Uncle Jack Charles, Dave Arden, Illana Atkinson, Selwyn Burns, Liz Cavanagh, Kutcha Edwards, Johnny Harding, Shiralee Hood, Kevin Kropinyeri, Uncle Herb Patten, Jimi Peters, Lowana Wickham, Bart Willoughby and DJ Crystal Mckinnon. Blak Cabaret is produced by Jason Tamiru. Tickets $15-20 from Malthouse Box Office, 9685 5111. Ilbijerri Theatre is presenting Noel Tovey performing his much-acclaimed one-man show “Little Black Bastard” at the Arts House, North Melbourne Town Hall, 13-15 February. Tickets $20-$30. Bookings phone 9322 3713.
Apology concert
The free concert at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl will celebrate the anniversary of the Apology to Australia’s Stolen Generations with performances by some of Australia’s best Indigenous and non-Indigenous musicians. The concert is hosted by the Healing Foundation, an organisation established on the first anniversary of the Apology to support members of the Stolen Generations and their families through healing programs across the country. Young Healers engages and educates the community around healing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people. A stellar line up of Indigenous and non-Indigenous musicians will perform at the Apology – Heal Our Past, Build Our Future Together concert including Christine Anu, Archie Roach, Frank Yamma, Jimblah, Thelma Plum, and Kutcha Edwards. They will join non-Indigenous performers including Tim Rogers from You Am I, singer/songwriter Clare Bowditch, Hip Hop duo Horror Show, and Australian urban roots band Blue King Brown to bring Melbourne a night of unforgettable entertainment. The free Apology – Heal Our Past, Build Our Future Together concert will be held from 6pm-10pm on 13 February at Sidney Myer Music Bowl, with gates opening from 5.30pm. For more information, head to www.healingfoundation.org.au
The Visitors
The Melbourne Theatre Company presents a reading of Jane Harrison's new playThe Visitors, which tells the story of the eleven ships of the First Fleet arriving on our shores, told from the perspective of seven senior Aboriginal men. Seven senior law men, in fine suits, meet on the shores of a harbour to discuss the 11 large boats that have just arrived. Should they be welcomed to country or should these seven clan representatives combine to get rid of the unwelcome visitors? There are only two performances on 7 & 8 February. Tickets $10 via MTC or Southbank Theatre Box Office, ph 8688 0800.
Sustainable Living Festival
In partnership with Recognise, OXFAM and ANTaR Victoria, RecVic will have a stall at the Festival on the 14-16th February at Fed Square, which will be raising awareness about Constitutional Recognition of Australia’s First Peoples. If you are interested in volunteering for a few hours, or a day or two please contact Emily Chauvel at Rec Vic.
Dan Sultan
Compelling concert performer Dan Sultan will likely be singing songs from his forthcoming album and latest single ‘Under Your Skin’ at The Corner Hotel, Richmond on March 1. Tickets $38 – cornerhotel.com. The video of this, Dan’s third album, features dancers from Bangarra Dance Theatre who complement the seductive track that Dan is calling“dark”, but admitting that “it’s a love song”. You can buy Under Your Skin as a digital download from iTunes.
More music
Congratulations to Jessica Mauboy who won Best Female Artist at the 2013 Australian Record Industry Association (ARIA) Awards. Jess’ winning album ‘To The End Of The Earth’ beat Sarah Blasko’s ‘I Awake’, Missy Higgins with her album ‘Set Me On Fire’, Emma Louise with her album ‘Vs Head Vs Heart’ and Abbe May with ‘Kiss My Apocalypse’.
Bark Paintings
“Transformations: early bark paintings from ArnhemLand” is on display at the University of Melbourne’s Ian Potter Museum, Carlton, until 23 February. The exhibition draws on works from the Donald Thomson collection and the Leonard Adam Collection between the 1935-1950. Many of the Yolngu are sacred clan body painting designs and are some of the earliest translations onto bark. The exhibition is free.