Robbie Thorpe (Djuran Bunjilinee) Video

I think it’s getting bigger and bigger and bigger all the time. And it’s a pretty big number of people there who’ve given up – their holiday to come down and join us on our day of rally and march, which I really appreciate that. I think that’s a really critical factor in what’s going to happen in the future, that’s it’s a good sign for us. I remember coming to the rallies when you could count the people on one hand. People were afraid to put a sticker on their car or wear an Aboriginal land rights shirt. So we’ve absolutely come a long way. And I suppose that’s just the way things happen. Takes us time.

When I was a kid, I ran into trouble straight away when I was in primary school with a grade one teacher asking a question about Captain Cook and

They’re still asking that question. And one of my things I want to do is make sure that when my kids went to school, you didn’t have to put up with this type of racism that the past generations had. But lo and behold, that didn’t happen. In fact, the school that my kids went to got closed by a racist by the name of Jeff Kennett. Still part of that whole process. And even your daughter, my oldest granddaughter, she complained about the same issue down at Caulfield Grammar. So it hasn’t gone away.

And I think that’s the most important thing is the education of the people. People are only racist mainly because they’re ignorant about the real issues and the truth. So a big shift on the curriculum. Got to change the institutions in the country, particularly around education. And this one behind me, it needs to come from a place of truth. And kids love that. Kids love truth, I find. Doesn’t matter what colour they are, you don’t you don’t get born a racist. You learn that stuff. And Australia’s was the perfect place to learn about racism over the years. I feel that changing. And I think that’s the heartening thing and all the work that I’ve put in over the years, I could see the truth one day has to emerge.