In this heartfelt reflection, Corrie van den Bosch MSS shares her experience of joining thousands on the Walk for Truth to Parliament House in Melbourne on 18 June, where the Yoorrook Justice Commission’s report—gathered from the voices and stories of Aboriginal Victorians—was delivered, along with numerous message sticks, that had been collected along a 500km journey led by Commissioner Travis Lovett. Corrie describes the deep honour of participating, the power of ceremony and standing together in solidarity, and her hope that this moment marks a real step toward truth, justice, and treaty.
Corrie van den Bosch MSS gathers with thousands of others to march from Kings Domain to Parliament House.
It was an early start, to catch the train to the city to join the final leg of the Walk for Truth from King’s Domain to Parliament to deliver the report of the Yoorrook Justice Commission. The report was compiled over the past four years from the memories and stories of Aboriginal people of Victoria since colonisation began, stories told on country all over the State, and of ceremonies celebrated on the numerous sites where massacres occurred, stories told of resistance, of courage and determination to preserve their languages and cultures and dignity as our First Peoples.
This event marked an historical moment in which the real story of colonisation from the perspective of people evicted from Country that holds over 60 thousand years of tradition, holding their stories, their law, their identity and spirituality. Now, it is on public record and in the hands of the Victorian Government, with recommendations for action, addressing the wrongs of the past up to the present as the prerequisite for negotiating treaties between the Government and our First Peoples.
Arriving on Kings Domain, near the Shrine of Remembrance, I was astonished to see a huge crowd already assembled there. The estimated size of the crowd was 5,000! The event began with a Welcome to Country with a dance by the Djirri Djirri Wurundjeri women’s dance group. A second dance honoured the Women Ancestors and Mother Earth. There were various speeches, the final one by Commissioner Travis Lovett, Deputy Chair of the Yoorrook Justice Commission, who, wearing a ceremonial kangaroo skin painted with Aboriginal designs, led the walk from Portland to Parliament over 25 days.
From King’s Domain, Commissioner Lovett, accompanied by his family and Aboriginal elders, led the procession. Next followed other Aboriginal people, school groups and then the general crowd. The organisation of it all was remarkably orderly. We started by walking through the smoke, a traditional ceremony of purification. It was impressive to see the long procession walking on the footpaths, stopping at traffic lights so that there was no disruption of traffic along the route. Many of us were wearing black t-shirts with Walk for Truth on the front and Yoorrook Justice Commission on the back. These were given out at the assembly area.
By the time my section of the long procession arrived at Parliament the formalities there had already begun and there would have been several hundred more walkers coming behind me. A large gathering was already there when the procession arrived. By then, the numbers were estimated to be about 10,000 people.
I found the whole experience very moving. Over many years I had been following the movement leading to this moment, beginning with the creation of a structure to enable the formation of the First People’s Assembly, followed by creating an electoral roll of Aboriginal people, enabling them to elect their representatives to negotiate with the Government and electing the Commissioners of the Truth Telling Commission which took about four years to gather the stories and recommendations included in the Yoorrook Report. All this independent of the Victorian Government and with its full support.
To take part in this event was truly a privilege. It was an expression of my personal support of this movement towards Truth and Treaty as well as that of our congregation of Missionary Sisters of Service. We pray it that will lead to the desired recognition of our Aboriginal brothers and sisters through treaties, address the unfinished business of Victoria’s colonial history and the laws that have brought them serious disadvantage and disempowerment up until now. As we heard again and again yesterday, it is a future that is better for all Australians.
Bernadette Madden MSS, Stancea Vichie MSS and Fiona Basile enjoy some lunch following the Walk for Truth.
Stancea Vichie MSS and Bernadette Madden MSS also joined the thousands on the Walk for Truth, along with our media coordinator, Fiona Basile. Stancea shared these words:
It was wonderful to be present in front of Parliament House for this historical moment. Bringing truth into the light of day is the way to healing. As Commissioner Lovett said, “We can’t change the truth of our past, but by accepting and understanding it, we can walk forward together to a better shared future. For First Peoples and all Victorians. The true path forward starts here.”
Catholic Social Services Victoria have also written a comprehensive story about the Walk for Truth, which can be found here.
Photos courtesy Fiona Basile | CSSV.
