Summary of the Annual Report of Sutherland Shire Reconciliation Inc

Presented by the Chair, Shalah Johnson, at the AGM in April 2025.
 

2024 was a busy year for us,  with much work in the name of Reconciliation. 

 

• We were at local community events, attending organisational events, school events, SSC Council meetings and Local Aboriginal Land Council’s events. A multitude of organisations and businesses requested our feedback and ongoing involvement in their Reconciliation Action Plans. 

 

• We continued to work with ANSTO on a proposal to  produce and sell a low cost edition of our popular Dharawal Picture Dictionary with the aim of  promoting the Dharawal language in our community.

 

• Our annual Sorry Day Dawn Vigil in late May was held at Silver Beach followed by sharing a coffee together after in the local café. This event is growing and changing each year. A morning of reflection and connection, we shared personal stories, singing with Kat Vavahea, yummy food gifted from Jo at Goanna Hut followed by a coffee at the local Silver Beach Cafe. We again received some funding from Reconciliation NSW for this event.

 

• We were so fortunate to establish a relationship with Sharks (Have a Heart)  Foundation and participated in fundraising during NRL’s  Indigenous Round at Shark Park. Our committee and members did an outstanding job raising just over $5000 for SSR.  

 

• Our National Reconciliation Week Picnic at Parc Menai was well attended despite the washout and soggy ground. With major funding from the Sutherland Shire Council and lots of our volunteers we celebrated Culture with each other and our wider community. We had the wonderful Djurawalingjangl women's dance group , singing and dancing with Torres Strait Islander Mui Mui dancers with Toby and Shannon Cedar and family who not only performed but also generously shared an extensive singing and dancing workshop, local Aboriginal vendors selling their wares, weaving, spear throwing, native bush walk, free native teas and our crowd pleasing free sausage sizzle. 

 

• The end of year Rainbow Serpent Picnic at Burnum Burnum was also met with uncertain weather.  We had our usual volunteers providing weaving, cultural bush walk, free native cold teas and devonshire tea with a native ingredient twist and the stunning Barayagal choir group who were amazing. This was the first time we did not provide a free sausage sizzle.  Attendance was down over previous years and with a huge amount of organising involved we have felt the need to reassess the future of these large community events.

 

• We made some exciting progress with Metropolitan Memorial Park group (Woronora Cemetery) early in the year and hopefully will build on this in 2025.  We continue to work closely with Sutherland AECG and the SSC Community Engagement Team. 

 

• Our volunteers manned stalls at the Jannali Moonrise Festival, Gandangara Aboriginal Land Council’s Reconciliation week, Kurranulla and Sutherland Shire Councils NAIDOC Week Event, Council’s Sunset Cultural Celebration, and Meeting of Two Cultures event. There were many other invitations to share the message of Reconciliation though we are limited by our volunteer capacity.

 

Our committee for the last year consisted of Chair: Shalah Johnson, Deputy Chair: Linda Augusto, Secretary: Jan Moffatt, Treasurer: Toni Downes, Committee: Graham Avery, Damien Carter, Leigh Furner, Evan Thornton, Wilma Stevens, Sonja Sherer, Linda Seymour. Committee meetings were held in April (AGM), June, September, October. 

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Sadly a few of our committee moved on during 2024 for varying reasons including personal and work related demands. I for one found that my work and family commitments severely impacted my ability to show up for SSR in 2024. It’s important to remember that the Committee is made up of volunteers, all of whom have employment, families and other commitments.  In saying that, we are ever so grateful for as much or as little as our committee volunteers can manage.  Aunty Dolly Brown remains SSR’s most consistently dedicated and active Advisor. Her ongoing advocacy and passion  for reconciliation work  continues to inspire us.

 

We recognise that our capacity to engage does not match our ambitions nor the needs of the community. Will be looking in 2025 to better ways of drawing on the expertise and commitment of our members and friends. 

 

We thank our donors/supporters and our members for their financial support.  In 2024 our major Donors/Supporter were ANSTO, Sutherland Shire Council,  Sharks Have a Heart Foundation, Tradies Club and Reconciliation NSW.  Without this support we would not be able to continue our advocacy, projects and community activities.