More than 300 elders, parish representatives, Church agency leaders and community members gathered to commemorate First Nations culture and reflect on the shared journey of truth-telling at Brisbane Archdiocese’s annual Reconciliation Dinner. Source: The Catholic Leader.
The event on September 11 also officially launched the archdiocese’s third Reconciliation Action Plan.
Anglican Church Southern Queensland RAP co-ordinator Aunty Sandra King, a Quandamooka and Bundjalung woman, led the welcome to country and University of Queensland’s Dr Aunty Denise Proud, a Koa and Kuku-Yalanji woman, delivered the keynote on the night.
Aunty Proud’s speech reflected on her life’s work in early childhood education – including being appointed to the first kindergarten in Cherbourg as a 16-year- old – and two decades ministering in prisons.
Brisbane Archbishop Shane Mackinlay thanked Aunty Proud for her testimony.
“You could have heard a pin drop right through the time that she was talking,” Archbishop Mackinlay said.
He said her testimony “resonated with such authenticity and integrity”.
The Reconciliation Dinner and RAP launch came at a key moment for First Nations advocacy.
Archbishop Mackinlay acknowledged the lingering pain following the 2023 Voice referendum defeat and Queensland’s decision to step back from its truth-telling and healing inquiry.
He emphasised that the national vote must not be interpreted as a rejection of broader reconciliation aspirations.
“The referendum in 2023 was not a referendum on the Uluru Statement, it was a referendum on one particular proposal for implementing the first part of the Uluru Statement,” Archbishop Mackinlay said.
He reaffirmed the Uluru Statement’s core principles remained indispensable.
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Reconciliation Dinner celebrates First Nations culture and highlights truth-telling as third RAP launched (By Joe Higgins, The Catholic Leader)
