Respected First Nations author and advocate Thomas Mayo will share insights from the heart as guest speaker at Surf Coast Shire Council’s National Reconciliation Week event.
Councillor Rose Hodge said having secured the Kaurareg Aboriginal and Kalkalgal, Erubamle Torres Strait Islander man for an evening of reflection represented a significant coup for the Surf Coast Shire community.
“Thomas is a respected signatory to the Uluru Statement from the Heart and we are fortunate to have engaged him as we seek to deepen our understanding of the Statement and of meaningful steps towards Reconciliation,” Cr Hodge said.
“Our event will support Reconciliation by providing an opportunity for people to understand the Uluru Statement from the Heart as an invitation which has come directly from First Nations people. The invitation is about walking together, recognising Australian identity shaped across millennia and shaping ‘a fuller expression of Australia’s nationhood’.”
The Uluru Statement from the Heart calls for three main things: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament enshrined in the Australian Constitution, Truth Telling and Makarrata or Treaty.
Council voted in April to support the Voice to Parliament as a step forward in its journey toward Reconciliation.
Australians will vote on enshrining a Voice to Parliament in a referendum between October and December this year.
Council will not seek to influence how people vote but will share clear and accurate information on what the Voice is and how to participate in the referendum so people can make considered and informed choices.
National Reconciliation Week is 27 May to 3 June. Its 2023 theme Be A Voice for Generations encourages all Australians to be voices for Reconciliation in tangible ways in everyday lives.
The Thomas Mayo event in Council’s chambers at 6pm on 29 May is free but people should register via ThomasMayoSurfCoast.eventbrite.com
The presentation will be followed by an audience Q&A, and book sales and signing.
Thomas Mayo is the author of several books, including Finding the Heart of the Nation – The Journey of the Uluru Statement Towards Voice, Treaty and Truth and his most recent is The Voice to Parliament Handbook, co-authored with journalist Kerry O’Brien.
