Hundreds gathered in Castlemaine’s Victory Park on Saturday to show their support for the Black Lives Matter movement and our indigenous community as part of the Castlemaine Solidarity Gathering – Declaration of Intent.
The gathering was called by local Dja Dja Wurrung elder Uncle Rick Nelson in a show of support for real change as part of international anti-racism protests across three continents following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis in the USA on May 25.
The event came on the back of Reconciliation Week and just weeks after the coroner’s finding was handed down into the death of indigenous woman Tanya Day, who died after a fall while in police custody in Castlemaine in 2017.
Ms Day is one of 432 indigenous Australians who have died in custody since the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody in 1991.
Uncle Rick invited supporters to join him in the ongoing fight against racism, both systemic and at ground level, by gathering in person or around a fire pit at home via a mass Zoom meeting.
Uncle Rick asked each participant to ask themselves – How will you help make change? What will you do towards the path of connection and healing in solidarity with the Aboriginal community? What declaration will you make?
“Put your declaration onto a note or a leaf to offer to the Sacred Fire and let the smoke be the messenger,” he said.
Hundreds turned out at Victory Park and via Zoom, many wearing masks and carefully observing social distancing rules, as they carried placards and heard from various indigenous speakers including Uncle Rick, Aunty Julie McHale via Zoom, Aunty Maxine Briggs and Nalderun’s Kathryn Coff.
Ms Coff, a Yorta Yorta woman living on Jaara country, said they wanted to show solidarity with their brothers and sisters in the United States and to honour Ms Day.
Ms Coff said the local indigenous community wanted their non-indigenous allies to stand up and support them.
“This has been our fight for 230 years. This will continue to be our fight until we get old and pass over, and beyond.
“We need other people to step up, we need other people to have a voice about this and to act,” she said.
“We can no longer be the only ones fighting for change, we need your voice in it. Change it.”
Ms Coff called on community members to look at every facet of their lives and where they could make a difference – the workplace, education, housing, welfare, decision making.
“Do not see us as disadvantaged. We are strong, We are proud. We love. We honour family. We honour Country. And we will continue to fight and fight and fight some more.
“What are you willing to do? Be brave, help us make a change.”
