Reconciliation Week Statement

National Reconciliation Week is a time to learn about our Indigenous histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation. Pictured here is a Smoking Ceremony conducted by Wurundjeri Elder, Aunty Di, for our players and staff earlier this year – an event which impacted our people greatly. 

This week commemorates two significant reconciliation milestones – the successful 1967 referendum, which recognised the basic rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and the High Court Mabo decision, in which Eddie Mabo successfully fought for the recognition of the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the traditional owners of their land. 

Both of these milestones had significant impacts and ramifications on how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people lived in ‘modern’ Australia.  

Reconciliation Australia have done a great job of preparing resources around the meaning and significance of these milestones, and we strongly encourage our community to visit the link below to further your knowledge and understanding, as we seek to do as a club: https://nrw.reconciliation.org.au/about-nrw 

The Deakin Melbourne Boomers are committed to being a voice for reconciliation through the acts of listening and learning, uniting, and truth-telling about the too-often silenced history of this Land we work and play on. We will be doing more this upcoming season, both during the Cygnett WNBL Indigenous Round and throughout, to bring this commitment to life in tangible ways.