National Reconciliation Week, which began on 27 May and runs until 3 June, offers an opportunity for all Australians to come together and build meaningful relationships between First Nation Australians and the wider community.

This year’s theme ‘In This Together’ is being felt in new ways as Covid-19 restrictions have sent many events online.

To celebrate Reconciliation Week, the City of Onkaparinga has released a series of videos that will finish with a live Q&A panel discussion on Wednesday 3 June from 10am to 12pm.

Mayor Erin Thompson says, “The videos highlight ways that we can learn more about our shared histories and cultures, and help build a shared future of understanding and opportunity.”

In the videos, Elijah Bravington, an Arabana man who works for the Neporendi Aboriginal Forum in Old Reynella sits down with Kaitlyn from Aldinga Library to share yarns and culture.

“Reconciliation Week is a great time to come together and tell stories, because the way stories connect us as human beings is a marvellous thing," Elijah says. 

“If you’re here in Aldinga or at Port Noarlunga,” he explains, “You’ll see the pelicans some mornings and they’ll be gathering height and flying together back to Ngarrindjeri Country (near the Coorong). The reason why they do this is for energy efficiency. They fly as a team. They’ll have the strong ones at the front. They’ll be encouraging the young ones and the old ones. 

“So it’s important we also think, ‘How do we help one another? How do we help the old people? How do we help the young people?’ When we come to know ourselves in similar ways, we see we have a lot of commonalities as people.”

The Fleurieu Peninsula encompasses the traditional lands of the Ngarrindjeri people of the southern Fleurieu and the Kaurna people of the Adelaide plains. 

Participants in National Reconciliation Week are encouraged to join virtual events and engage with online conversations with the hashtag #InThisTogether2020.

You can find Elijah’s storytelling videos on Onkaparinga Libraries Facebook Page or the City of Onkaparinga’s YouTube channel. 

For more information on local National Reconciliation Week events see here.