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City of Yarra Aboriginal Recognition Statement | | Category: | Event | | | Date: | 1 January 1998 | | | Sub Category: | Statement of Commitment/Intention | | Place: | Inner City of Melbourne | | State/Country: | Victoria, Australia | | Alternative Names: | Yarra Aboriginal Recognition Statement
| | Subject Matter: | Reconciliation | Local Government | | Summary Information: | | | The City of Yarra in the inner city of Melbourne endorsed an Aboriginal Recognition Statement in 1998. | | Detailed Information: | | | The Statement reads:
· The City of Yarra wishes to recognise and acknowledge the history of this land and its Aboriginal people.
· The City of Yarra recognises that the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation are the original inhabitants of this land and have a continuing association with it. This relationship reaches back for thousands of years.
· The Wurundjeri are the traditional custodians, and have an ongoing spiritual relationship with the land.
· We regretfully acknowledge that as part of the colonisation of Australia, Aboriginal people were dispossessed of their lands in the City of Yarra. Many lives were lost. The connection with the land, language and culture was strained to breaking point.
· The City of Yarra also acknowledges the injustices of our more recent past and seeks to promote understanding, and respect for all Aboriginal people in the municipality.
· We need to improve our understanding of Aboriginal issues. We need to find new ways to work together in partnership.
· As the first steps in this process a City of Yarra Aboriginal Advisory Group has been established to increase Aboriginal participation in municipal affairs and to increase the responsiveness of Council to Aboriginal interests. The City of Yarra also makes a commitment to work with the community to research stories and sites of significance for Aboriginal people, supporting them to retell their histories.
· ‘Birrarung’ as spoken in the Woiwurrung language is the Aboriginal name for the Yarra River, meaning ‘The River of mists’. This river has witnessed many changes, through its mists are glimpses of both the past and the future.
· The City of Yarra aspires to work towards a better future, a future of mutual respect and harmony.
The Statement was updated in 2004 and included as part of the 'Yarra Aboriginal Partnerships Plan, Wurundjeri Reconciliation and Social Justice, 2004-2008.' | |
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