Truth-telling Archives - Reconciliation Australia

Truth-telling: Yoorrook Justice Commission reports

Liz Willis — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 00:26:16 +0000

Reconciliation Australia’s statement on the Yoorrook Justice Commission’s final reports

The Yoorrook Justice Commission has done the people of Victoria and Australia a great service in so comprehensively mapping the history of colonisation, and its impact on First Peoples in Victoria.

With the release of the final reports the Commission has also provided a blueprint for acknowledging our shared history and for addressing the terrible legacy of centuries of mistreatment, dispossession and racism endured by First Nations peoples.

In mapping out how government and institutional policies have negatively affected Victoria’s First Nations over more than two centuries, the Commissioners have created a resource which will help Australians understand and accept the wrongs of the past and their impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. 

The reports also documents the extraordinary strength, resistance and leadership of generations of First Nations communities in the face of these injustices.

The Yoorrook for Transformation report provides the Victorian Government and people with a clear plan to ‘make amends for past policies and practices and ensures these wrongs are never repeated’.

The Yoorrook Truth Be Told investigation into Victoria’s colonial and more recent history is a powerful example of one of Reconciliation Australia’s five dimensions of reconciliation, namely Historical Acceptance.

Truth-telling is fundamental to forging the path to reconciliation and justice. It provides healing and a collective pathway towards stronger and more cohesive communities.

The transformation report’s 100 recommendations are far ranging: Statewide and Traditional Owner group treaties, the establishment of a truth-telling body, water and land management, the administration and governance of critical services in health, education, criminal justice and family violence, and, perhaps most importantly, the report recommends the ‘transfer of decision-making power, authority, control and resources to First Peoples, giving full effect to self-determination.’

Truth-telling at a structural level through processes like the Yoorrook Justice Commission is critical to correcting the public record and driving long term change.

But that change only happens if we act on what we have learned. The Yoorrook Report sets out clear recommendations that we need action on to see a better future for the next generation.

The Yoorrook Justice Commissioners have done the hard work, and it is now time for the Victorian Government to positively respond to the recommendations with decisive action and implementation.

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Avenue of change

Ben Taylor — Sun, 30 Mar 2025 02:10:43 +0000

The old gum trees lining Malmsbury-Daylesford Road in Daylesford, Victoria are a stalwart reminder of the challenges and change they have witnessed on this land.

This stretch of road is home to the Manna Gum Avenue Memorial which honours the Dja Dja Wurrung people who lost their lives defending their communities and land in the Frontier Wars.

Local resident and Aboriginal woman Erica Higgins explains that Manna Gum Avenue draws attention to an unspoken part of history. ‘It was the clearing of the land and people, through acts of aggression, sickness and forced removals,’ says Higgins. ‘Trees witness this, it is written on their face.’

First of its kind

Australia is home to multiple avenues of honour, living memorials where trees line major roadways to commemorate and honour those that served in the Second Boer War, the First and Second World Wars, and other wars that followed. There are over 200 in Victoria alone. Manna Gum Avenue is the first to remember Aboriginal peoples who were killed in massacres or by fighting to defend their traditional lands during the Frontier Wars (1788 to mid-1930s).

The sycamore trees of Daylesford’s WWI Avenue of Honour prompted Erica to wonder why the same couldn’t be done to acknowledge the Aboriginal people who lost their lives defending this land during the Frontier Wars.

Erica is a member of the Hepburn Shire Council’s Reconciliation Advisory Committee, which was established the council’s Reconciliation Action Plan(RAP). She raised her idea at a meeting in 2019, proposing the memorial be located on the opposite side of the street from the Daylesford Avenue of Honour, where there were already large Manna Gum trees along a stretch of Malmsbury-Daylesford Road.

The Reconciliation Advisory Committee unanimously decided that the idea for a memorial avenue should be taken to council, and a short brief was prepared to support the idea.

Just because the land is empty does not mean their spirit is not here.

Planting the seeds

Donna Spiller was Hepburn Shire Council’s Reconciliation Officer at the time and played a key role in getting the initiative off the ground. Donna’s role was the result of commitments made in the council’s first RAP in 2018.

Donna reached out to Djaara, the representative body for Dja Dja Wurrung people, on whose Traditional Lands the memorial would be located.

Rodney Carter, Djaara CEO at the time, noted that there were no existing memorials to the Frontier Wars on Dja Dja Wurrung Lands. ‘The memorial would afford greater recognition to our fallen ancestors and help us all heal,’ he said.

Rodney then shared the proposal to establish the Manna Gum Frontier Wars Memorial with Djaara members and the board, who were supportive of the project.

Truth blooms

With the support of both the Hepburn Shire Council and Djaara, the project moved ahead. After some delays due to pandemic restrictions, Manna Gum Avenue was unveiled during NAIDOC Week 2021 at a ceremony attended by local Traditional Owners, Aboriginal people, the Hepburn Shire Mayor and other councillors and staff. Hepburn Shire Council won Reconciliation Victoria’s Maggolee Reconciliation Award in 2023 for the project.

Manna Gum Avenue serves as a reminder of the enduring strength and spirit of those who sacrificed their lives for their land. ‘It wasn’t people who voluntarily disappeared, it was people who fought to obtain their rights, and they died,’ explains Erica.

She calls the gums ‘witness trees’ because they endure and witness changes over time, making them a powerful symbol of the Aboriginal people who fought and cared for the land. ‘Just because the land is empty does not mean their spirit is not here.’

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Shared history recognised

Ben Taylor — Wed, 12 Feb 2025 01:48:48 +0000

The community of Gundagai have acted to ensure that two national heroes, local Wiradjuri men Yarri and Jacky Jacky, are known by anyone in their town and beyond.

The town has honoured the acts of two of the greatest lifesavers in Australian history through the erection of a bronze sculpture in the main street.

Yarri and Jacky Jacky saved the lives of a third of the town’s population during the Great Flood of Gundagai in 1852 – one of Australia’s greatest natural disasters – rescuing at least 69 people from their rooftops using only a bark canoe and a rowboat.

‘You can imagine, taking the canoe into the water. Bringing people in from off of roof tops and out of trees… no motor or anything on the canoe… the river, as it was, in full flood. And keep doing that for three nights,’ describes Uncle Peter Smith, a Wiradjuri Elder.

The push for recognition

At the time, the men received a small reward and inscribed breastplates. Their contribution to the survival of the township was not given the place in history it deserved, but Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal families in Gundagai never forgot the story of bravery and survival. It was acknowledged in small ways over time as community attitudes shifted and their capacity to honour Aboriginal peoples grew.

Wiradjuri Elder Aunty Sonia Piper notes not only their heroism, but its significance. ‘I always think that must be the first time with the reconciliation, because those two Aboriginal men didn’t care what colour people they rescued.’

Ian Horsley’s family has lived in Gundagai for generations, and he feels a debt to Yarri and Jacky Jacky.

‘[I have] a great-grandfather saved by the two men in the Gundagai flood. We’re descended and here is a result of their bravery.’ Ian recounts how his father would pass on the story and recognised the heroes by donating a sundial in their honour and naming part of his property ‘Yarri’.

Keeping the story alive

Elders have worked to keep the story alive by visiting schools and teaching local history. In the 1980s, the council erected a plaque for the men, and in the 1990s, a park was named in their honour. But, as Ian notes, it was still not the recognition he and others had wanted.

Several efforts were made over the years to mount a sculpture, but it wasn’t until Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council began a new town plan in 2014 that support was formalised and adequate funding finally secured. The plan set aside a place for recognising the heroes and the council called for community members to join a committee to develop the memorial.

The 12-person Yarri and Jacky Jacky Sculpture Committee included Wiradjuri Elders, descendants of those rescued, and council members. They worked together to raise funds and make decisions, meeting a total of 22 times over three years. Their common interest and intention drove their shared goals, but it was important for the Elders to have a privileged voice. They insisted the statue be on a main thoroughfare, petitioned to make the sculpture in bronze (a mark of respect regularly accorded to white historical figures), and successfully advocated for the confronting historical context and flood story to be portrayed in full on the signboard accompanying the sculpture.

All of these requirements enhanced the truth-telling power of the memorial. The views of the Elders were properly heard and understood partly because three councillors served on the committee, indicative of the regional council’s commitment to the project. A lifelong mutual respect was established between committee members through this process.

I think it's made a big difference in Gundagai and as well as in the wider community... the more people know the better it will be.

Unveiling

In 2017, on the 165^thanniversary of the flood, a bronze sculpture was unveiled with a march down the main street of Gundagai and an official ceremony. The whole community attended.

‘We couldn’t have been any prouder on the day that the opening was and we seen all the people around in town and in the main street in Gundagai and it made us feel so proud,’ recalls Aunty Sonia.

Uncle Peter notes, ‘I think it’s made a big difference in Gundagai and as well in the wider community… people will come now to see the statue and read the stories that’s on the board. And the knowledge is getting out there and we’re going to keep telling the story for ever and ever because the more people know the better it will be.’

Committee member Miriam Crane puts it this way: ‘It’s not just about the story being out there so that people can have respect, it’s about then the flow-on effect of that on the people who are affected by the increase in respect that occurs in the broader population.’

Ongoing impact

With the courageous act written formally in history, it is hoped this might be a platform for nation-wide education on this important event.

The statue is a continuing site of truth-telling and healing, with a commemorative corroboree on the 170^th anniversary of the flood, drawing several hundred people together in celebration.

Wiradjuri/Wolgalu man Joe Williams led the event organisation. ‘Many elders have never had the opportunity to learn, practise or participate in these types of gatherings due to the generational challenges that followed the invasion,’ he explains.

‘There were many local Elders who came up to me after the evening, some crying with immense pride. Not only because it was the first time they witnessed such an evening, but they got to watch their nephews, nieces and grandkids partake in the cultural activities that they were forbidden to do.’

This account of truth-telling in action is based on a case study from the Recognising community truth-telling: An exploration of local truth-telling in Australia report. The collaborative study between Reconciliation Australia and Deakin University’s Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation documents 25 community truth-telling projects. Read the full report.

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Taking back control

Ben Taylor — Fri, 10 Jan 2025 01:37:15 +0000

Since 2013, the Coota Girls Aboriginal Corporation has worked to capture and elevate the untold stories of the survivors of the Cootamundra Domestic Training Home for Aboriginal Girls (1912-1969), facilitate Survivor networks for mutual support and to reclaim the site of the former home as a safe space to tell stories and progress healing through sharing.

‘Though it was such a dark place, there are a lot of funny stories that they were able to find humour in – for them to be able to find that laughter when they would sit around and yarn, I just found inspiring, that they’re so strong and resilient.’ says Meagan Gerrard, Project and Communications Manager at Coota Girls Corporation, and granddaughter of former resident Aunty Lorraine Peeters.

From 1912 to 1969 hundreds of young Aboriginal girls were forcibly removed from their families and sent to the Cootamundra Domestic Training Home for Aboriginal Girls. When they turned 14, they were sent for domestic work that was often unpaid. They were disconnected from culture, identity, family, community, place and language. Many suffered serious maltreatment.

Reconnection

The creation of a safe space to share stories was understood as critical to the healing process, both for the Survivors themselves and for their families. Many Survivors felt silenced and stigma around their identity because that’s what the Cootamundra Domestic Training Home for Aboriginal Girls taught them to feel. Some descendants didn’t find out that a family member had been a resident until after their death.

‘I guess it just shows that we don’t talk about it, we don’t highlight it enough to remove stigma to talk about what this means and what it’s meant to our families’, says Alicia Bairle, The Coota Girls Aboriginal Corporation CEO.

‘I’d like to see that stigma removed because it’s not something we did to ourselves… it was something done to our families, and it’s not something to be shameful of.’

The informal support Survivors have given each other over the years has been formalised through the corporation. It has now extended this support to Survivors and descendants across the country, offering a healing space through reconnection.

‘That was a big driver too, coming together, they had that sisterhood… their history, their story. They found comfort with each other and healing when they came together’, adds Meagan.

Alicia also says, ‘that a big part of the role of the corporation is ensuring that the stories are out there, the information’s out there and not forgotten, and it’s not excused.’

Holding space

The corporation is advancing the way it listens to, holds, honours and passes stories to descendants through technology, while maintaining respect for the different experiences of the Survivors. With funding from the Department of Education and NSW Library, Meagan and Alicia have trained to record oral histories. They hope to train other descendants to do this too.

Alicia says this enables ‘our Aunts and Uncles to talk about their story, in a way in which suits them, and with safe people that they know quite well.’

This internal communication is a vital step before stories can be shared publicly. ‘It’s not as simple as Survivors or descendants sharing the truth with external communities or broader Australia’, explains Alex McWhirter, Coota Girls Aboriginal Corporation Project Officer.

‘It’s actually in between and within the community as well because a lot of people didn’t have the chance to hear those stories from their ancestors or their family members. And so making sure that those stories are shared in a sensitive way with people who are really connected to that story, is really important as well.’

For us it was about taking back that control… It was just such a beautiful experience and one that won't be forgotten

Reconnection and reclamation

Through this process, descendants have learned the stories of Survivors and had the chance to heal with their family. Or if they’d prefer to not share this with their family, that’s okay too – they can be alone with the recorder. Some find it easier to tell a camera what happened.

The digital stories of Survivors are safely stored and archived. This safekeeping avoids the need to re-traumatise Survivors as they do not have to retell and relive their experiences again and again. Once the recordings are stored, it is up to Survivors how much they want shared with others and when.

The corporation has also produced a short film, Walking Our Songlines, documenting the stories of Survivors and their descendants.

One of the objectives of institutions like the Cootamundra Domestic Training Home for Aboriginal Girls was to anonymise and homogenise its residents. In response, the corporation has sought to reclaim the rich and varied identities of former residents.

It conducts meticulous work to identify the different language groups the residents come from and supports reconnection with culture and languages among Survivors and descendants so this legacy can be reclaimed. They are also running a youth programme to build connection with young descendants in order to help them understand the experience of their Elders and how they might respond to it.

A new home

After a one-off grant awarded in 2021 from the NSW Government, the corporation is overhauling the former home site with strong support from Survivors and the local community.

Importantly, the site was heritage listed in 2012. In 2022, 200 volunteers started turning the severely deteriorated site into a healing and education space, including planting a memorial garden and making a yarning circle.

The wider Cootamundra community, including schoolchildren, helped with the work. In the process, they learned the truth of the place they had heard about but didn’t know the full history.

Part of the site improvements included restoration of the weather shed where, Alicia says, ‘The girls used to tap dance and have precious moments of happiness together.’

A reunion held on the site was both an acknowledgement of the past and an intensely healing process with the creation of new happy memories. ‘[The] ceremonial dance was such a big piece for Survivors,’ Alicia adds.

‘It was punishable to practise any form of culture on that site for them. So to have children running free, playing, laughing and then practising culture on the country with them able to sit there and witness that, that was really powerful.’ ‘There was a lot of sharing, a lot of storytelling, a lot of reflection’, Meagan explains.

‘For us it was about taking back that control… It was just such a beautiful experience and one that won’t be forgotten.’

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Queensland Truth-telling and Healing Inquiry

Ben Taylor — Wed, 06 Nov 2024 04:00:17 +0000

Reconciliation Australia urges the new Queensland Government to listen to First Nations people and reverse its decision to abolish the state’s recently established Truth-telling and Healing Inquiry.

We join First Nations people and organisations from across Queensland and the country in calling on the Crisafulli Government to meet with the Inquiry, to understand the benefits of truth-telling and to reconsider its decision to abandon the critical process of truth-telling in Queensland.

We are hosting nine hundred representatives from organisations with Reconciliation Action Plans (RAPs) in Meanjin (Brisbane) this week for the National RAP Conference 2024 and the Indigenous Governance Awards.

Our program highlights truth-telling and the ground-breaking work being done in this state to advance it. Joshua Creamer, Inquiry Chair, was due to speak to this. However, the Inquiry has been notified by the Crisafulli Government of its intention to cease the Truth-telling and Healing Inquiry and repeal the Path to Treaty Act 2023.

Yesterday the Queensland Government informed the Inquiry that Chairman Joshua Creamer would not be permitted to speak this morning.

Truth-telling is a foundation for reconciliation and justice for Australia’s First Nations peoples. And it provides healing and a pathway forward for all Australians.

To become a united nation, all Australians should understand and accept all aspects of our shared history and its continuing impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, so we can address failures in past policies and practices and ensure they are never repeated.

Engaging with Australia’s history is supported by an overwhelming majority of Australians with an ANU survey, conducted in November 2023, finding 80.5 per cent of Australian’s think that Australia should ‘undertake formal truth-telling processes to acknowledge the reality of Australia’s shared history.’

Without truth-telling processes, such as the Queensland inquiry, how are Australians to learn the truth of our history; to participate in the healing process of truth-telling?

Without truth-telling how do we begin the process of national healing?

Without truth-telling how do we build bridges of understanding that in turn unite rather than divide?

A mutual understanding and acknowledgement of Australia’s often brutal history of dispossession and violence is a prerequisite to building respect, reconciliation and unity.

We urge the Queensland Premier to listen to the stories and experiences of First Nations Queenslanders as they open their hearts and share their histories.

Truth should never be the enemy of honest government.

Image credit: Lewis James Bin Doraho

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Truth, Healing, Action

Faiza Ways — Sat, 12 Oct 2024 11:00:06 +0000

The 2023 Voice referendum defeat exposed serious gaps in our understanding of Australia’s colonial history and its ongoing impacts on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities.

Truth-telling is essential to filling these gaps and building stronger relationships between First Nations peoples and other Australians based in truth, justice and respect.

In the absence of a national truth-telling process, several state-based formal truth-telling initiatives are underway, and Victoria has taken a significant step forward with the Yoorrook Justice Commission. The nation’s first formal First Nations-led truth-telling process.

Set up by agreement between the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria and the Victorian Government, Yoorrook has been tasked with creating a public record of past and ongoing injustices experienced by First Peoples in Victoria since colonisation. The commission – named for the Wemba Wemba/ Wamba Wamba word for truth – will, at the end of this process, deliver findings to help inform Victoria’s treaty negotiations.

Unearthing the Past and the Present

Since its launch in March 2022, Yoorrook has hit the ground running with a series of public and private hearings and the delivery of two interim reports ahead of the final report due in June 2025.

Professor Eleanor Bourke, a Wergaia/ Wamba Wamba Elder and Chair of the Yoorrook Justice Commission, told Reconciliation News that Yoorrook’s work hasn’t been without its hurdles.

‘We started this journey during the pandemic,’ Professor Bourke recounted. ‘It was a tough start. Yoorrook could only connect with people online for the first six months, and during that time, we were also working on the first report.’

The referendum result was another setback for the community in Victoria, but Professor Bourke also sees it as a pivotal turning point in societal attitudes.

‘We thought that Victoria would get over the line in our community, so it was a big shock for our people in Victoria. However, I think there is now a greater interest – for some people, other Victorians – to find out more,’ Professor Bourke said.

‘Firstly, it is necessary to know the history and truth about settlement in Victoria. It is not about what we want, it is about how First peoples were treated and forced off their lands. Most Victorians do not know the story about legislation prescribing where we could live, of the racist legislation about identity and the generational impact.’

The commission’s hearings provide a space for individuals to share their deeply personal stories which often involve confronting painful memories.

‘We’re hearing people’s lived experiences – good, bad, and ugly – spanning poverty, the legal and criminal justice systems, and child protection. It’s distressing to see how deeply embedded these issues are due to colonial legislation creating barriers that span generations,’ Professor Bourke reflected.

‘It’s a tough process for everyone involved, but it’s also profoundly healing. For many, it’s a chance to finally speak their truth and be heard.’

Truth-listening

One significant aspect of Yoorrook’s work involves truth-listening – that is, engaging with institutions to ensure that they listen to the truth and confront their own histories. While progress can be slow, there is evidence that institutions are beginning to acknowledge the need for change.

‘Earlier this year, the Victoria Police apologised to our people for their involvement in the Stolen Generations and committed to change. Now, that’s been overshadowed by the commitment to raising the age to 14 not being kept. Within their organisation, however, the Victoria Police have identified 79 actions that they do want to happen to change their culture,’ Professor Bourke said.

‘We’ll see what comes of it in the coming months, but it means somebody’s taking responsibility to hear what’s being said and to make those changes, and that’s really important.

‘Institutions are often like big ships that move slowly, but real change takes time.’

Institutions are now faced with the reality of their past actions and are beginning to address their role in historical injustices. However, Professor Bourke acknowledges that the road to substantial change is long. ‘These institutions must take responsibility and commit to real action. It’s about transforming understanding into tangible reforms.’

‘Truth-telling is not just about recounting history; we need to ensure that our stories are heard and that they lead to genuine empowerment and agency for our communities.’

From Words to Actions

Addressing systemic racism in education remains a critical challenge and Professor Bourke acknowledges the gaps, ‘We need to ensure that Aboriginal histories and perspectives are adequately represented and taught. This is a crucial part of addressing systemic racism.

‘The rich material we’re gathering will make excellent curriculum content for future generations. It’s essential that we use these stories to educate and inform.’

Yoorrook will also hold accountability hearings to review what institutions, and the government have done in response to its recommendations. This process will help ensure that commitments made are followed through. ‘It’s crucial that our work doesn’t just end with the hearings. We need to see action and real improvements.’

Community Truth-telling

More local communities are working together to research previously untold and unrecognised parts of their histories. These community-based activities are a crucial part of the national conversation on truth-telling and reconciliation.

Professor Bourke agrees, ‘We see a lot of the community activities going on in our media feeds and it’s a very good thing to see, because it means people are doing the work where they live. They’re learning about the beginning of the story, as well as how they got to where they are now.’

‘Whether it’s the bail act or not raising the age, these issues are going to stay on the agenda. People will either be horrified, or they’ll want to do more. So, there’s no relaxing from what needs to happen to make our country a better place.’

To learn more about the Yoorrook Justice Commission, visit yoorrookjusticecommission.org.au

This article is from Reconciliation News #52. Read the rest of the issue.

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Bonds never broken

Faiza Ways — Sat, 12 Oct 2024 10:15:08 +0000

In 2002, a group of Kinchela Boys Home survivors returned to the site of the home in Kempsey NSW for the first time since they were boys.

With strong childhood bonds never broken, the men were on a journey to reconnect with each other, reclaim their past and support survivors and their families to heal.

Kinchela Aboriginal Boys Training Home was run by the NSW Government from 1924 – 1970 to house Aboriginal boys forcibly removed from their families in order to assimilate them into white Australian society. Built on the stolen land of the Dunghutti, it holds memories, painful and otherwise, for Survivors, and it is a place of deep importance for them, their families, and communities.

The return was not an easy process, as survivors had to confront their experiences – which many had buried. The deep bonds they formed as boys helped them to endure the abuse and harsh conditions of the boys’ home, where they were assigned numbers instead of names.

‘Some of the Uncles said we need an organisation that’s ours, that looks after the brothers and looks after our families,’ Tiffany McComsey, CEO of the Kinchela Boys Home Aboriginal Corporation (KBHAC) said.

‘And from that journey this organisation started, and the hope that truth-telling would really lead to change.’

Kinchela’s mission

Over time, KBHAC have developed a survivor-led model of governance and healing. Survivors own their stories and tell them from a place of self-determination.

‘We know how to develop the programs that we need to be able to help the rest of the families and brothers feel in a safer place,’ said KBHAC Chair Uncle Michael Welsh.

KBHAC members emphasise the power of truth-telling to prevent a repetition of the abuse they endured and to create social change.

‘Talking is never easy because it brings back memories that I shut out for so many years but if we don’t keep doing this it allows this trauma to grow. That’s the strength that I gain from this and the journey of the KBH brothers,’ said Uncle Michael.

Truth-telling on the move

In 2020, KBHAC launched a mobile education centre, or ‘site of conscience’. Set up in an old commuter bus, it is an immersive experience designed to convey hard truths about the Kinchela Boys Home.

The front half of the bus is an exhibition that was developed in consultation with the survivors. The back is a cinema and yarning space, where a short, animated film produced by survivors is shown.

The immersive experience helps people to viscerally understand in a way that reading a report does not.

‘We’ve had ministers who have been told multiple times and then all of a sudden, they’re like, “Wait, you were numbers? You didn’t have names?”‘ Tiffany said.

The mobile education centre also has a recording booth where visitors can share their reflections, community members can record their stories about KBH, and the Stolen Generations, and related community histories can be documented. These truths become an educational resource and record for future generations.

Tiffany explained that sharing these experiences between descendants of survivors allows for the sense of isolation to be broken down: ‘It’s like this light bulb goes on and it’s like, it wasn’t just my family.’

Driving engagement

The mobile education centre facilitates a safe space for meaningful engagement. It’s a survivor-led opportunity to extend stories beyond the act of personally retelling their trauma and encouraging two-way interactions.

KBHAC wants the mobile education bus to connect with the hearts and minds of future generations, which is why its content and media target a young audience. The yarning circle space brings in oral testimony, archival material, artifacts, film, images, audio and interactive materials.

The future of Kinchela

Uncle Michael and Tiffany emphasise that truth-telling is an ongoing process – institutional change is slow and intergenerational trauma cannot be addressed in a one-off event.

While the mobile education centre delivers truth-telling all over the country, the Kinchela Boys Home site has become a permanent place of truth-telling grounded in the power of tangible evidence.

The KBHAC has been campaigning to obtain ownership over the land so it can be turned into a national site of truth-telling and healing with the creation of a living museum and healing centre.

The site was added to the 2022 World Monuments Fund Watch List as one of 25 heritage sites of worldwide significance.

Creating a permanent site of truth-telling allows survivors and communities to reclaim their past by determining the future of the place that impacted them so deeply.

‘My love in my heart, as a kid, is still in that bloody home. It’s a fact and returning the ownership to KBH survivors is going to allow me to return the love that I lost in that place,’ said former resident Roger Jarrett.

‘Just the thought of going there makes you feel a little bit better than you were before, giving you a feeling that you achieved something. I achieved my last little bit of pain easing, you know.’

This account of truth-telling in action is based on a case study from the Recognising community truth-telling: An exploration of local truth-telling in Australia report. The collaborative study between Reconciliation Australia and Deakin University’s Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation documents 25 community truth-telling projects.

See more of Deakin University’s Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation’s research via deakin.edu.au/adi

This article is from Reconciliation News #52. Read the rest of the issue.

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