Homilies & Addresses
“God blesses us through the ocean as the waves and the current go in and out. The ocean is sacred to us. As part of my baptism as a baby, my mum removed my clothing and nappy and held me up in the sea breeze to be sprayed — to first be blessed — by the ocean. She then took me to the church for the service,” says Torres Strait Islander Elder Aunty Dr Rose Elu
Films & TV
“While cinemas have plenty of foreign films screening, mainly of the mainstream blockbuster variety, it is refreshing and worth celebrating that a historical Australian film, continuing the tradition of cinematic storytelling on Australian themes and First Nations matters, gets a decent cinema release around the country,” says The Rev’d Canon Gary Harch
“The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples I know are pragmatic, so it makes sense that they wish to be recognised in the Constitution through an advisory body — a Voice. The Voice’s design principles show that the non-binding independent advice will come from the grassroots enabling Parliament and Government to function more effectively. In my book, that can only be a good thing,” says The Rev’d Cameron Freese
“Brenda’s whole story is a weaving of ‘black’ and ‘white’ cultures together where, in her words, ‘two halves can make a powerful whole’,” say Jennifer (from The Parish of Mudgeeraba) and Mark Stevens (from The Parish of Mudgeeraba and All Saints’ Anglican School)
“My dad’s mum, Nan, taught me Dreaming stories, about animals and language. My mum’s dad, Grandad Daylight, taught me stories about the Dreaming, including how the mountains were formed. When I was very young, my aunties and uncles taught me how to fish for whiting and barramundi and how to hunt for turtle and dugong. I learnt a lot from my Old People around the campfire because I listened,” says Gubbi Gubbi and Dharumbal man Adrian Malone from Anglicare
“I am campaigning for the ‘yes’ vote in this year’s referendum because I now have grandchildren. They won’t understand what it is all about when we vote this year, just like I didn’t understand what the 1967 referendum was about when I was five. But I want to be able to tell them about it later and that I tried to be part of making their country fairer,” says The Ven. Geoff Hoyte, as Close the Gap Day approaches on 16 March
“Our Country, our land, is integral to who we are. Our culture is a gerontocracy, which means that our Elders, our old people, lead decision making in communities, and are the cultural authority in our communities. The fundamental normative principle is that decision needs to be driven by community. So we designed a process that would enable us to seek advice from communities via a structured, deliberative dialogue process,” says Professor Megan Davis
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