ANTaR July Aug Newsheet
SEA OF HANDS AN OLYMPIC WINNER
There are two opportunities for ANTaR supporters to be part of the Olympic
Games by presenting the Sea of Hands to a multitude of overseas visitors and
TV viewers.
Centennial Park – 9-10 September
In the lead-up to the Olympics, the Hemisphere Arts Concert will be staged
in Sydney’s Centennial Park. Recognising this as another opportunity to
push the Reconciliation message through our ‘Hands’, we accepted the
invitation to mount our Sea of Hands.
Organisers expect more than 100,000 people to attend over the three days,
many of them from overseas.
Botanic Gardens – 23-24 September (To be confirmed)
After the wonderful reaction from the many thousands who saw the Sea of
Hands in the Botanic Gardens during the Corroboree 2000 weekend, we knew
this was the perfect site. The setting is ideal, surrounded by the Harbour,
Opera House and the Gardens themselves. So there was no hesitation in
accepting the opportunity to again plant the Sea of Hands. We expect that
the Gardens will be a major attraction for visitors, affording major
exposure for the ‘Hands’. So all that is required are Olympic aspirants to
join the Sea of Hands team. No training required – just your availability
and enthusiasm!
NEXT COALITION MEETING:
WEDNESDAY 16 AUGUST
9:30AM
AVI, 8-24 KIPPAX ST SYDNEY
SEA OF HANDS IN LONDON
On Thursday 6 July 2000, 6,000 hands were planted at Lincoln’s Inn Fields
in Central London.
Aboriginal leaders, Church leaders, British Parliamentarians and expatriate
Aussies attended and signed the hands.
Hundreds of curious Londoners had Reconciliation explained to them by Richie
Ahmat, Chairman of the Cape York Land Council and Noel Pearson. Also
present were historian, Henry Reynolds and former Senator, Margaret
Reynolds.
John Howard, who had gone to London to see the Queen did not attend!
The Sea of Hands was organised by ANTaR’s European affiliate, ENIAR –
European Network for Indigenous Australian Rights.
‘SORRY’ MOTION IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS
On the day that John Howard visited the House of Commons to hear warm words
from Tony Blair and William Hague, a Labour MP, Jeremy Corbyn, tabled a
motion apologising to Aboriginal people for past British policies and
calling on the Australian Government to redress current discrimination.
The text of Jeremy Corbyn’s Early Day Motion is as follows:
‘That this House
notes the official visit to the United Kingdom of the Prime Minister of
Australia and the celebrations to mark Australia Week 2000;
acknowledges the close ties between the people of the United Kingdom and
Australia as Commonwealth partners, in war and peace, in trade, sport and
professional co-operation;
however, also notes that the Aboriginal and Islander people of Australia
have little to celebrate, that their life expectancy is 17 years less than
other Australians and their infant mortality is twice as high;
acknowledges the oppression and injustices inflicted on Aboriginal peoples
and apologises for the suffering caused by past British policies;
further acknowledges current discrimination and disadvantage suffered by
Aboriginal peoples in health, education, job opportunities and provision of
public services;
and therefore calls on the Government and peoples of Australia to mark the
Centenary of Federation by committing themselves to redress that
discrimination and disadvantage, and to recognise the special status and
rights of Aboriginal peoples as the indigenous peoples of Australia.’
The Motion is now open for signature by other Members. Early Day Motions are
a powerful statement and record of MPs’ views on issues of current concern.
They are not debated or voted on.
JOHN HOWARD SAYS SORRY TO ABORIGINAL PEOPLE
Here is the text of John Howard’s speech on National ABC
TV on Monday 3 July 2000.
“Good evening
“My name is John Howard and I’m speaking to you from Sydney, Australia, host
city of the year 2000 Olympic Games.
“Australia, like many countries in the New World, is intensely proud of what
it has achieved in the past 200 years. We’re a vibrant and resourceful
people. We share a freedom born in the abundance of nature, the richness of
the earth, the bounty of the sea. We are the world’s biggest island. We
have the world’s longest coastline. We are a fabric woven of many colours,
and it is this that has given us our strength.
“However, these achievements have come at great cost. We’ve been here for
200 years, but before that there was a people living here. For over 40,000
years they lived in perfect balance with the land. There were many
Aboriginal nations, just as there were many Indian nations in North America
and across Canada, as there were many Maori tribes in New Zealand, and Incan
and Mayan peoples in South America.
“These indigenous Australians lived in areas as different from one another
as Scotland is from Ethiopia. They lived in an area the size of Western
Europe. They didn’t even share a common language. Yet they had their own
laws, their own beliefs, their own ways of understanding.
“We destroyed this world. We often didn’t mean to do it. Our forebears,
fighting to establish themselves in what they saw as a harsh environment,
were creating a national economy. But the Aboriginal world was decimated.
“A pattern of disease and dispossession was established. Alcohol was
introduced. Social and racial differences were allowed to become fault
lines. Aboriginal families were broken up. Sadly, Aboriginal health and
education are responsibilities we have still to address successfully.
“I speak for all Australians in expressing a profound sorrow to the
Aboriginal people. I am sorry. We are sorry. Let the world know and
understand that it is with this sorrow that we, as a nation, will grow and
seek a better, a fairer and a wiser future.
Thank you.
Yes, this speech was delivered sincerely and with conviction by John Howard.
No, not our Prime Minister! It was John Howard** the actor in the regular
ABC program “The Games”.
Pity the PM doesn’t have the same scriptwriter…
**Actor, John Howard said of it (the speech): “It was the first time I can
say I’m not ashamed to share the same name as the PM.
SEA OF HANDS GREETS OLYMPIC TORCH IN CHERBOURG
As part of the Sydney 2000 Olympics thing, the Olympic torch was scheduled
to go to Cherbourg on Saturday June 3 around lunchtime. This was the only
Aboriginal community to host the torch and a great opportunity for the
community to get together and have a reunion of Cherbourg people.
It was Lesley Williams who suggested the Sea of Hands could be part of the
celebrations, and this would be the first time the Sea of Hands had been
hosted by an Aboriginal Community.
The Sea of Hands now comprises 120,000 hands. ANTaR got together an
organising group (Annette Arnold and Joan Shears) and we went up to
Cherbourg the week before.
Beautiful design
We made a visit to the Jack "Champ" Malone oval to check the space and try
and do a calculation on the number of hands needed. Max (Bonecrusher)
Conlon had done a beautiful design representing " the community moving
forwards towards aspirations and solutions"
There's always a hitch
Sandra Morgan and Matthew Malone, the organisers of the event were very
disappointed that the nearby town of Murgon, which had been going to join
the Cherbourg event, had decided to do their own thing. (The State MP for
this area is Dorothy Pratt, One Nation). Cherbourg, a week before the event
was having to source various pieces of equipment such as chairs that they
had on order, but were now, they were told, needed in Murgon
On the afternoon before the big day we marked out the design with flour. We
had done quite a lot when we noticed that the area we started on was being
happily eaten by the local dogs. Matthew organised some lime and things
proceeded smoothly after that.
Planting hands
We started planting the hands at 7.00am. Some people had come the night
before, including the wonderful Bill Green with the truck of hands, more
arrived that morning, with these and the large Cherbourg group of helpers
(and a very enthusiastic bunch of kids) we had double the number of people
we had anticipated. We unpacked and planted all the hands in an hour and a
half.
SOCOG had restricted the space for the hands to the oval. The planned design
was finished. We had hands and time left over so we made an Aboriginal and a
TSI flag on either side of the aspirations and solutions design.
We asked the Council whether they wanted the big ANTaR Treaty banner. Yes
indeed, put it on the fence at the bottom of the design. So now the
community was moving forward with a Treaty behind them.
Even SOGOC was impressed.
The whole ensemble, the design, the flags and the banner looked fabulous,
very dramatic and moving. At this point SOCOG and the Council decided to
change the path for the torch runners so that they ran through the hands
between the design and the flags.
The media arrived and told us that the hands design looked fantastic from
the helicopters and that it had already been posted on their web site.
A REAL COMMUNITY EVENT
The real community event started when things moved to the torch stage. The
highlights for me were the honouring of Jeffrey 'Mitta" Dynevor and the
performance by the Cherbourg school. At the end of the schools performance,
a rousing version of the school song:
I'm a Cherbourg Murri through and through
And I like to stir the curry too
Through the years I've learned to do what's right
They were the best years of my life
Yes, too strong and deadly, black and proud
And at times I can get very loud
I try to dodge just any kind of strife
I look back to the best years of my life
Cherbourg Murri, learning what to do
I'm a Cherbourg Murri through and through
At the end of the song the kids on stage ran down the torch path each
holding a coloured hand aloft and planted their hand in the design.
The torch arrived carried by Edna Malone followed by her kids with a huge
banner which read "that's our mum".
The torch left Cherbourg carried by Rory Bonney and run right through the
Sea of Hands to great applause.
Cherbourg
For those of you who don't know Cherbourg, the community has a long and at
times difficult history.
Originally known as "Barambah" the Cherbourg reserve was founded as a result
of the 1897 Aboriginals Protection and Restriction of the Sale of Opium Act
as a place for 'protecting' what was considered a 'dying race'
Over the years, people from some 40 language groups, including the local
Wakka Wakka people, were removed from their homes and traditional lands and
sent to Cherbourg against their will. There they were under the direct power
of superintendents who 'acted as arresters, prosecutors, magistrates,
gaolers and rehabilitators'. Paid no wages, and on basic rations, they could
at any time be deported as 'incorrigibles', while family members could be
refused entry as 'undesirables'. Cherbourg is now locally-controlled under a
Deed of Grant in Trust and because of its history has strong connections
with Indigenous people all over Queensland.
The event of the Olympic torch was used as a basis for a return to Cherbourg
celebration. Hundreds of people attended and it was a spectacular day for
all of us.
We have some great photos of this and they'll be up on the website soon.
Helen Barnes
CAR DISCUSSION PAPER ON
RECONCILIATION LEGISLATION
The Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation has released a discussion paper
titled: “Reconciliation Implementation and framework Agreement Legislation”
. The paper seeks views on proposals for legislation to assist in
continuing the reconciliation process after the Council’s term expires at
the end of this year . Comments on the Discussion Paper are due by 11
August 2000.
ANTaR is concerned that the Discussion Paper fails to highlight a central
need for the second stage of reconciliation – the need for a direct
negotiations process between the Government and Indigenous people. A direct
negotiations process is essential to identify and develop the processes and
structures for dealing with “unfinished business”, including constitutional
and legislative initiatives. Important elements currently mooted include
the development of a framework agreement or agreements as well as issues
such as a treaty, recently the subject of renewed calls by Indigenous
leaders.
ANTaR is putting in a detailed submission on the Discussion Paper which will
be available through the National Office and on our national website.
We encourage ANTaR Coalition members and other interested groups and
individuals to put in a submission on the CAR discussion paper. The
discussion paper can be downloaded from the Council’s website:
(http://www.reconciliation.org.au). Further details can also be obtained
from ANTaR National Co-ordinator David Cooper (02-9555 6138 or
[EMAIL PROTECTED]).
ANT AND ANTaR JOIN FORCES
Below is a message from Australians for Native Title:
Following several, highly successful public awareness raising events, and
with the production, distribution, collection and handing of the Sorry
Books now complete, the board of Australians for Native Title (ANT) decided
that the aims of Australians for Native Title would be best achieved by
contributing the resources of ANT to the newly formed national body of
ANTaR. This new national body is better placed to be able to pressure
government and influence decision-making on the issues of both Native Title
and Reconciliation and ANT were pleased to be able to contribute the balance
of its funds to ANTaR. Supporters of ANT who have not already joined ANTaR
as supporters are encouraged to do so. With one, larger, nationally
co-ordinating body, we believe we can achieve much more.
DIARY DATES FOR AUGUST
Mon 7 Aug 10.30 OWN Aboriginal Support Group Guest Speaker Elaine Russell 75
Windmill Street Details: 93891090 Please bring a plate to share
Tue Aug 8 5.30-7.30 The Kimberley: an Australian Frontier – one-off talk
Garry Darby WEA, 72 Bathurst St Course 03HM084 Cost $20 Details: 9264 278`
Wed Aug 9 International Indigenous Peoples’ Day ‘A Change of Heart’ Spirit
Event for
Women by Women 11 am – 3 pm
‘Indigenous Insights’
an evening of inspiration for men and women International House, City Road,
Chippendale
Bangarra Theatre
The Wharf Pier 4
Hickson Rd Walsh Bay Details: 9453 1067 Please bring lunch to share
Details: 9969 3595
6 pm – 8 pm
Thu Aug 10 6-8.30 pm Genesis/Creation Stories – Jewish, Christian and
Aboriginal genesis/creation stories. Speakers incl. Dr. Pat O’Shane Domain
Theatre, Art Gallery of NSW Cost: $25 members $30 non members incls.
Refreshments Details: 9225 1878
Sat Aug 12 & 19 “I’m not racist but…”: a 2-day challenging racism workshop
Action for World Development (AWD) Cost: $110; $70 c
Details: 9212 5275
Bookings essential – limited to 24 places
Fri Aug 18 Dawn Welcoming Ceremony – “Tubowgule: The Meeting of the Waters”
Deborah Cheetham and other female singers
Fri Aug 18 Noon “Tubowgule”: performance of dance, body painting, story
telling and sculpture Botanical Gardens
Fri Aug 18 6 pm Dusk “Tubowgule”: Finale directed by Stephen Page featuring
300 performers Sydney Opera House Forecourt
ANTaR NATIONAL CONGRESS IN SYDNEY
11 – 12 AUGUST 2000
ANTaR will be holding its National Congress in Sydney on Friday & Saturday
11-12 August at the ANTaR office – 19A Quirk Street Rozelle (1st floor of
the old school building behind the church).
The Congress will bring together ANTaR representatives from each state and
territory as well as NGO and other affiliates.
ANTaR Coalition members are encouraged to take the opportunity to attend and
to have an input on what is happening at the national level, or simply to
listen. It is also a great opportunity to meet fellow ANTaR and
reconciliation supporters.
Please pass on this invitation on to your members and fellow ANTaR
supporters. Phone: 02 9555 6138 or email [EMAIL PROTECTED] for further
details.
ANTaR NSW Coalition
Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Web page: www.antar.org.au
PO Box 1176 Rozelle, 2039
Phone: 02 9555 6138
Fax: 02 9555 6991
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