Register now for free ‘The Heart – A Shared Journey’ event

The Greater Geelong community is invited to participate in a local forum discussing the Uluru Statement from the Heart.

Presented by the City of Greater Geelong, ‘The Heart – A Shared Journey’ is supported by the City’s Kilangitj Aboriginal Advisory Committee and will feature Wadawurrung Traditional Owners, First Nations community elders and representatives from Reconciliation Victoria.

Set to take place at the City’s Wurriki Nyal administration building between 1pm and 4pm on Tuesday 30 May, the event is free to attend, with tickets limited to 120.

Discussions will be led by a First Nations circle of leadership that represents many First Nations and Languages from across Australia.

Mayor Trent Sullivan: 

The afternoon will be about coming together to talk about our community’s shared journey towards reconciliation.

It will be a chance to share stories and discuss the Uluru Statement from the Heart, and how we can all walk together into the future.

Those interested in attending can register here.  

The Greater Geelong Council expressed its support for the Uluru Statement from the Heart via a letter to the Prime Minister in March 2021.

The statement was developed in 2017 by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from around Australia.

It calls for constitutional change and structural reform in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ relationship with Australia, including enshrining a First Nations voice in the Australian Constitution.

First Nations Circle of Leadership

Master of Ceremonies – Uncle Charles Pakana, a third-generation journalist and an Aboriginal man of Tasmanian descent.

Wadawurrung Country – Corrina Eccles, Wadawurrung Traditional Owner and Custodian of Language and Knowledge.

Our Shared Journey, a yarn about reconciliation – Nicole Findlay, CEO of Reconciliation Victoria, an awarded non-Indigenous person working with communities to develop projects to benefit First Nations Peoples.

Heart community kiosks – Julie Saylor Briggs, Torres Strait Islander with strong Irish heritage from Drogheda, raised on Wadawurrung Country. Julie is the Senior Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Policy Officer at the City of Greater Geelong.