A DEADLY Reconciliation week day event introduced Mitchell Shire residents to three Wurundjeri traditional owners at the Greater Beveridge Community Centre late last month.
The theme for 2025 is “Reconciliation Voices, Bridging Next to Now”.
As always, it embraces Mabo Day. It was June 3, 1992 when the Mabo decision made by the High Court of Australia overturned the concept of terra nullius or ‘land belonging to no one’.
The legacy of Eddie Koiki Mabo, a Torres Strait Islander man who spearheaded the legal challenge, is also remembered.
Mitchell Shire Council supported the free and deadly afternoon of storytelling and music for Aboriginals and their allies.
Jayden Garvey, lineage name Poynton, is a proud young Wurundjeri man from around Healesville and he spoke publicly for the first time.
“Reconciliation is big for our mob, and big for the community where I’m from,” he said.
“It’s not a thing we take lightly. It’s heavy to us… it’s one of the things that means the most to us over the year.
“Growing up, it wasn’t like we had a lot of healthy role models in our lives… a lot of us end up in jail. I ended up in jail at 18.
“I missed out on a lot as a kid.”
Another highlight was that Colin Hunter Junior emceed, and another was that he shared his new passion—making didgeridoos. He brought his first yidaki on a Northern Territory Road trip in grade six.
“I played it for about a year, but I properly picked it up again two years ago, and for some reason, I started making one.
“The hollow is made by termites; the grooves produce the note. Generally speaking, the longer the instrument is, the louder it is.
“To alter the size of the mouth piece… wax is used, but in summer it melts.
“Traditionally, females never play a yidaki, but they can make them, and their artwork is some of the best in the world.”
To close the afternoon on another sweet note, Claire Garvey performed a string of live hits accompanied by Sam Berry on acoustic guitar.
The duo’s deadly gig opened with Landslide by Fleetwood Mac and across their set they chatted with the audience.
The rich heritage of culture and history of Aboriginal people lives on through its past, present and future elders.
