Kiama’s Sorry Day ceremony will have a special poignancy this year following Council’s May Meeting unanimously passing a motion to adopt the principles of the Uluru Statement from the Heart.

“The Uluru Statement from the Heart is a national document – with a lot of conversations around a referendum and constitutional recognition – but reconciliation is also a local issue and it’s a very important one for our community,” says the motion’s mover, Councillor Stuart Larkins, who is of Wodi Wodi heritage.

“I’m really pleased that the principles of agreement making, voice and looking at the topic of a treaty is something that is now part of Council’s agenda moving forward, including in the draft Community Strategic Plan.

“As part of the motion, the CEO and the Mayor will jointly write to the Local Land Council about establishing principles of agreement for Council to work with the Land Council and other service organisations as part of improving relationships with indigenous people.

“While there are a number of points to work out, we’ve got a number of places around Kiama that are derived from the Aboriginal language and the meanings of those words are not displayed. It would be great to proudly promote that meaning.”

The Statement from the Heart read by First Nations' people - Pat Anderson, Stan Grant, Adam Goodes, Ursula Yovich and Troy Cassar-Daley

The motion was welcomed by Mayor Neil Reilly, who says it’s vitally important that Kiama Council endorsed the Statement and its principles.

“I’d like to see a treaty started, I’d like to see recognition in our constitution and this is the first step towards it,” he says.

“I want relationships between First Nations people and us who have come later to be harmonious, productive and mutually beneficial.

“We can’t do that without things like the Uluru Statement from the Heart. It’s got very, very practical implications and little places like Kiama can have a big effect on the whole nation if we take notice of what our Indigenous community have to say.”

This year's Sorry Day will return to its normal format, outside the old Council Chamber

A local advocate for the Uluru Statement, and member of the national Voice for the Heart Alliance, Barbara Wellesley, says she like many others have been waiting years and years for Indigenous people to have a voice in the constitution.

“If we want to be a unified country, Indigenous people need to have a voice and they don’t at present,” she says.

“Local councillors are the ones who have the closest link to people in their community, so it is a good place to start developing a new understanding.

“One of the things a voice will do is enable us to understand how each other thinks, as well as looking at opportunities to share good ideas.

“It’s the only way we will unify Australia.”

National Reconciliation Week is from 27 May to 3 June, with the theme ‘Be Brave. Make Change’.

NAIDOC Week is from 3-10 July with the theme ‘Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up!’. 

Kiama Council is holding a Sorry Day Ceremony which will include a smoking ceremony and a Welcome to Country by Aunty Gwenda Jarrett.

The event is for remembering and acknowledging the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who were forcibly removed from their families and communities, who are now known as ‘The Stolen Generations’.

Kiama Council’s Sorry Day Ceremony will be held on Thursday 26 May, outside the Old Council Chambers in Manning Street, from 10am.