Summary of the Annual Report of Sutherland Shire Reconciliation Inc

2023

Presented by the Chair, Shalah Johnson, at the AGM in April 2024.

What a busy year we have had since our last AGM. SSR has been busy with many efforts in the name of Reconciliation and our Nation as a whole moving forward. From local community events, attending Organisational events, school events, nursing homes, Council meetings, LALC’s offices and events, Dept Ed projects and events, Woronora Memorial Park also not to mention a multitude of organisations and businesses requesting our feedback and ongoing involvement, to building stronger relationships with the aforementioned. The YES campaign threw up a multitude of challenges and monopolised a great deal of our efforts, so the year ahead is an opportunity to refocus and move forward with strength and conviction in the movement of Reconciliation.

Our Year looked like this:

Yarning Circles in schools, parks, local Native Nursery, Kirinari Hostel, nursing homes.
Dharawal Picture Dictionary, Colouring Book received lots of positive feedback and is an ongoing project at the request of many schools. We must thank ANSTO for the very generous donation of $10,000 to enable us to distribute over 14,000 copies to local Primary Schools
Dharawal language book. Work has been in progress on this wonderful new offering with grants and funding constraints being a hurdle, we will overcome.
Metropolitan Memorial Park group, (Woronora Cemetery). Ongoing consultation with the Memorial parks of which Aunty Dolly and Jan have been maintaining over the years since Les Bursill’s passing. Aunty Dolly has also been instrumental in connecting the Memorial Park group with Community voices including Gandangara Local Aboriginal Land Council (LALC). More exciting news to come on this.
Referendum campaign. SSR promoted, supported, and encouraged several of our members to help where they could with the campaign whilst approaching the conversation with the view that all VOICES should be heard and considered including the No voice.
Hub at Lucas Heights Community school includes ‘Aboriginal Playgroup ‘,paediatric services , parenting classes and more. This was sparked from SSR attending Sutherland AECG and asking for a First Nations specific Playgroup on school grounds that grew into something substantially more.
Celebrated Reconciliation Week commenced with our annual Dawn Vigil for Sorry Day at Silver Beach followed by sharing a coffee together after in the local café.
Reconciliation Week Picnic was well attended again at Burnum Burnum . We focused our theme on the YES campaign with a huge turnout with the logical YES 23 group encouraging their members to attend and support this theme. We finished off the week with a movie morning and the technology failed us, but we did manage to get to see most of the MABO Movie together at Kirinari. Then enjoy a yummy morning tea together. These types of hiccups remind us we are all volunteers trying our best and any support offered by our members is incredibly valued.
Several bushwalks to see wonderful Dharawal rock carvings and sites in the ANSTO buffer zone and the Royal National Park. We thank our guides Lloyd Hedges from the Menai Wildflower Group and Mark Rice, one of our wonderful SSR members and Dharawal Man.
Committee members attended many community events including the launch of Uncle Max’s book at the Pavilion in October, The opening of Sutherland Shires arts and entertainment Pavilion, Reconciliation week events as guests and stall holders, supported and attended multiple Yes campaign events, Yabun, Tharawal Local Area Land Council NAIDOC week Ball - to make important connections, BLAK HARBOUR’s special guests and may other gathering.
The end of year Community Picnic again had a theme: Rainbow Serpent. It was a huge success and a fitting community event with all the wonderful bright colours, activities, and goods on sale. It was held in December at Burnum Burnum Sanctuary again, adjacent to the Woronora River where families and individuals gathered to share a sausage sizzle picnic and enjoy a range of entertainment and workshops. A special thanks to all the Donors, and to the volunteers who organised and ran this activity so successfully.
Sutherland Shire Councils Sunset Ceremony. SSR’s stall was well received.

We sincerely thank Aunty Dolly Brown as SSR’s incredibly dedicated and active Advisor for her continuing extensive contribution to the success of our events and evolving community and organisational relationships. Importantly also for her kindness and generosity in supporting us as individuals on the path to Reconciliation.

Our committee consisted of

Chair: Shalah Johnson
Deputy Chair: Linda Augusto

Secretary: Jan Moffatt
Treasurer: Toni Downes

Committee: Graham Avery, Damien Carter, Alex Augusto, Evan Thornton, Angela Sidoti & Wilma Stevens.

Committee meetings were held in April, May, June, July, October, and November.

I thank the committee and our members and supporters for all their efforts that help to raise awareness of the ongoing importance of Reconciliation.