Custodians plaque in the store on Monday.
As part of local NAIDOC Week celebrations
this week, the Cobar Vinnies store
held a ceremony on Monday morning to
recognise local Aboriginal heritage and
connections by unveiling a Traditional
Custodians plaque.
NAIDOC Week celebrates and recognises
the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander peoples and is
an opportunity for all Australians to learn
about First Nations cultures and histories and
participate in celebrations of the oldest, continuous
living cultures on earth.
Cobar Vinnies volunteer Lenny Fitton acted
as emcee for the dedication ceremony and explained
that unveiling the plaque was part of
the St Vincent de Paul Society’s ‘Vision for
Reconciliation’.
He explained how the Vinnies’ Reconciliation
Action Plan came about.
“They consulted and yarned, and produced a
set of documents, Guiding Principles, Cultural
Protocol, an Implementation Strategy and the
actual Reconciliation Action Plan itself,” Mr
Fitton said.
“In the plan, we read that: Our vision for
reconciliation is for a just and equitable society,
a society characterized by strong and meaningful
relationships between the First Peoples
of Australia and non-indigenous Australians, a
society in which Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander peoples, cultures, histories, knowledges
and connections to country are valued and
celebrated,” Mr Fitton said.
A number of special guests were welcomed
to the ceremony and among them were: local
Aboriginal elder, Elaine Ohlsen (who delivered
the Welcome to Country); Cobar Catholic
Church parish priest, Fr Paul Finucane (who
spoke about the importance of family, in particular
the high regard and respect that Aboriginal
people have for their families); and also
Jesse Cochrane Adolfson from Murdi Paaki
(who gave an overview of the work the St Vinnies
Conference does in Cobar).
A morning tea then followed the plaque unveiling.
