The City of Casey celebrates Reconciliation Week 2012: Issued 6 June 2012
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EmailMEDIA RELEASE: 6 June 2012
The City of Casey recognised National Reconciliation Week 2012 with an official flag raising ceremony on Thursday 31 May at the Civic Centre in Narre Warren. The City of Casey is on the traditional land of the Bunurong and Wurundjeri people.
Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Australian flags were raised together, in honour of the 1967 Referendum to remove discrimination against Indigenous Australians and to acknowledge the anniversary of the landmark Mabo High Court decision which established native title.
City of Casey Deputy Mayor Cr Wayne Smith said at the event ‘We stand here today, as part of National Reconciliation Week to celebrate the Aboriginal and Torre Strait Islander People, their culture and traditions, and their importance to the Casey community’.
‘This year marks the twentieth anniversary of the High Court’s decision in the Mabo case.
‘This was an historic day and a landmark decision that has helped our country on its path to Reconciliation.
‘We are one country, one nation that prospers only because of the contributions of its entire people, Indigenous and non-Indigenous together’.
Community representatives, including local Indigenous elders from the Wurundjeri and Bunurong communities, along with members of the City of Casey Access and Inclusion Advisory Committee and local school students, joined together to acknowledge and celebrate the occasion.
Senior Elder from the Wurundjeri Tribe Land Compensation and Cultural Heritage Council, Aunty Winifred Bridges spoke at the ceremony and raised the Aboriginal flag to mark the occasion.
The flag-raising is held each year to acknowledge the past, recognise the present and support aspirations for the future.