Indigenous sculpture unveiled at Crooked Creek, Taree

Manning River Times

Watch:  Indigenous sculpture unveiled at Crooked Creek, Taree

Transcript

00:00Marungu everybody.

00:02Applause

00:24My name is Pastor Russell Saunders, OIM

00:26better known as Uncle Russ, an elder in my community.

00:28This area

00:30our people were moved

00:32moved from different places

00:34when white people started to settle

00:36in this area and they started to change

00:38grow and

00:40this was like I said a creek

00:42that was like many other rivers and creeks

00:44about where our people moved along

00:46the creeks and the rivers

00:48as they moved from place to place

00:50and they

00:52they hunted and gathered

00:54along here and they stopped over

00:56and they had campfires and families

00:58and they moved along

01:00further

01:02but this was the last place

01:04where our people lived

01:06along here and it was all tea tree

01:08scrubbed right through here

01:10before the show ground was built

01:12before they put the sewage works there

01:14near the creek and people were

01:16you know further away but as they came

01:18closer suddenly

01:20they did want to live next to the original people

01:22in

01:241940

01:26the government moved in and says right

01:28you people we're gathering yous all up

01:30and putting you on the mission

01:32and that's where the Sunrise Station

01:34the Aboriginal Mission was formed

01:36in 1940

01:38that's where my mother and fathers

01:40spent their childhood

01:42white people here today

01:44acknowledge of us

01:46and are very proud to be part

01:48of our understanding

01:50and

01:52say what was said here today

01:54touched my heart

01:56for here won't men say

01:58this land

02:00give this land back to the Aboriginal people

02:02and the government representing

02:04even said it

02:06here today, now that's the first I've heard

02:08in my years today

02:10and that really touched my heart

02:12I looked at Jane and she

02:14saw I was a feeling

02:16that she'd give me a cup

02:18my community

02:20say my community, black and white

02:22we share this town together

02:24now but there's still

02:26people out in my

02:28community

02:30are fearful

02:32they're frightened to

02:34really

02:36acknowledge

02:38the two cultures

02:40that we live together by

02:42and

02:44yeah

02:46and it just hurts

02:48especially that yes and no vote came through

02:50I mean

02:5294%

02:54was that said yes to

02:56us as citizens to vote

02:58this referendum

03:00that came out was for us

03:02to be recognised as the first

03:04custodians of this land

03:06and 65%

03:08of Australians

03:10now when I say of Australians

03:12people

03:14from all around the world live in our country

03:16and they all

03:18voted no

03:20against, as they said

03:22yes would be divisive

03:24I don't know where

03:26with no means

03:28I mean always known as

03:30no is bad, yes is good

03:32and to me

03:34no, that really

03:36almost tore my heart out of my chest

03:38but the fact that

03:40we're still suffering

03:42we're still battling with identity

03:44in our own country

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