Reconciliation SA Welcome to the Reconciliation SA column

Welcome to the fourth Reconciliation SA column. What a year it’s been already, so much has happened.

We announced Jeremy Johncock as our new co-chair. Jeremy is a proud Wirangu and Mirning man from the Far West Coast of South Australia, who has lived on Kaurna Country for over 20 years.

He works at the Adelaide Football Club as the Aboriginal Program Manager and considers himself very fortunate to be able to combine his passions, sport and community.

“I am really excited to be joining the Reconciliation SA board and team, to continue the work of those that came before me,” Jeremy says of his appointment and extended his thanks to his predecessor, Professor Peter Buckskin.

The official launch of the First Nations Voice ‘Yes’ Campaign took place in Adelaide at Tandanya. Reconciliation SA was able to attend and show our support.

We’ve also seen the South Australian Voice to Parliament legislated, and while the South Australian Premier said he doesn’t expect it to make immediate improvement surrounding First Nations issues, he hoped that “over the years and decades to come, there is some positive change”.

Reconciliation SA also attended Sonder’s ‘Closing the Gap Day’ at Wayville showgrounds. The day was a great success, with many schools and organisations taking part. It included speakers such as Uncle Moogy Sumner, the Honourable Kyam Maher MLC and featured performances from dance groups.

Finally, we launched our commemoration to the Stolen Generations Documentary on Apology Day, which received some great feedback. A commemorative video has officially replaced the breakfast that is normally held that day, as Reconciliation SA looks to widen its reach within the state.

The idea behind the documentary is to document Stolen Generations stories from each nation. Reconciliation SA hopes this will lead to a deeper understanding of the effect of the Stolen Generations, not just on a First Nations level, but on an individual level.

This year’s focus was the Ngarrindjeri nation, and the film featured the personal stories of survivor Aunty Mandy Brown,

To watch the documentary, visit the Reconciliation SA YouTube page at: www.youtube.com/ @reconciliationsouthaustral1365 or email Travis@reconciliationsa.org.au for a direct link.