Anonymous 1089

I’ve actively sought knowledge of the history of my city, Melbourne, through books and documentaries and listening to local people’s stories. I know the story of Batman and Fawkner coming and claiming land, and the supposed treaty with the local elders. I know of the pushing out of the local people to abbotsford and then to Healesville and surrounds as Melbourne grew full of white settlers. I did a course with the VACC that demonstrated the inter generational trauma being experienced today as a result of horrific policy implemented by our white governments. I know I’m a minority in this country where most of the population don’t care to know.

Alll I Can remember learning in high school was about corroborees, in year 9 we held a corroboree in our class and turned it into a picnic with snake lollies. We never met any aboriginal people in learning our country’s past and I went to a predominately white student and teacher school.

We should learn about our history from kindergarten. We should be taught to recognise our privilege and also the nuance of inter generational trauma and its impact. We should make space for aboriginal people to learn their lore, they have lost so much because of white colonisation and deserve the space to rebuild that as part of their schooling.

We must listen. We must feel the discomfort of how we came to our privilege. We must ensure that understanding of all this is taught in schools to everyone so that more empathy and care and space can be given to rebuilding the presence and authority to those who are descendants of the people here before us.

We must listen. We must feel the discomfort of how we came to our privilege. We must ensure that understanding of all this is taught in schools to everyone so that more empathy and care and space can be given to rebuilding the presence and authority to those who are descendants of the people here before us.