People power

Kamilaroi woman and Inner West resident Cheree Toka recently sat down with guest writer Marc Bennie to share insights on how she successfully lobbied the NSW Government to permanently fly the Aboriginal flag atop the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and subsequently at every town square throughout the Inner West Council. It’s a fascinating story of determination, perseverance and people power.

Despite rejections from the NSW Government, Cheree understood the significance of the Aboriginal and Australian flags flying equally on the Sydney Harbour Bridge and never gave up on the idea of having this as an everyday reminder for her people and others. It was a five year battle, but the love for her family, people and future generations kept her going.

Cheree puts her success down to determination and collaboration with local community members, Council and help from major media outlets who covered the story and made the campaign mainstream news. The campaign raised more than $300,000 to cover the costs of the flag installation.

For her efforts, Cheree was awarded Inner West Citizen of the Year in 2022 and acknowledges the incredible support of more than 200,000 Australians who believed in her journey and knew it was the right thing to do.

Never being one to tire, Cheree continues to support major campaigns that enable further awareness, connection and success with First Nations Peoples.

When asked about how all Australians can get involved in reconciliation activities, Cheree says “We need to have the tough conversations and get involved in local community activities”. The best opportunity she’s seen locally is Inner West Council’s initiative to recruit and train 1,000 people in a civic education program to build awareness about the Uluru Statement from the Heart and the upcoming Referendum on the Voice to Parliament.

Cheree’s message is one of appreciation for everyone fighting injustice, in their personal and professional lives and encourages more people to come on this journey with her.

Cheree says, “We have slowly progressed as a nation and I’m thankful for that, though there is still so much to do. Big and small businesses have the power to influence major change by pushing conversations.”

By Marc Bennie