Wingecarribee Reconciliation Group makes Myall Creek pilgrimage

The memorial service began on the morning of Sunday, June 13 with upwards of 500 attendees from across the nation, at the beautiful new stone dance arena.

Welcome to Country was performed by Elder Auntie Sue Blacklock, sister to the recently deceased Lyall Munro, a Freedom Rider of the 1960s.

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Ngambaa Dhalaay and Tingha Nucoorilma Dancers entertained and moved us with their cultural stories, tribute to the fallen and the struggle for Aboriginal people to live free on their land.

Keynote speaker Professor Lyndall Ryan then educated us on the ferocity and impunity of government troopers and colonial settlers as they sought to, without due process of British or Aboriginal law, forcibly acquire the land by massacring and otherwise dispossessing the owners.

This was widespread and usually unpunished. Myall Creek was the first and tragically the last time that frontier colonials were punished to the full extent of the law for murdering Aboriginal people.

Singer Roger Knox sang up the truth and sadness of the massacres at Myall Creek, nearby Waterloo Creek, and across Australia; so far more than 250 massacre sites have been identified.

Local NSW MP Adam Marshall spoke frankly of the failure of government of the day, the racist nature of the colony, the importance of truth telling of all the atrocities committed against Aboriginal peoples, and the ongoing need for national soul searching and restitution.

Auntie Sue Blacklock then invited us down to the sacred space of the memorial path and stone. Attendees passed through a smoking ceremony, cleansing our minds and hearts and warding off bad spirits and attitudes. We received sacred ochre in red and yellow so that the ancestors could recognise our presence, and to remind us of ceremony.

At the memorial stone all fell silent as the Bull-roarer was sounded out across the valley to awake the ancestors and restless spirits that we were here to honour and remember so that they can rest in peace.

Non-Aboriginal school children from across the state read out a lament and apology and Aboriginal students called on them, "to join with us in the struggle for a fairer and more just society for all Australians."

The ceremony closed and we were farewelled from the site with the following words.

"May you always stand tall as a tree;

"Be as strong as the rock Uluru;

"As gentle and still as the morning mist;

"Hold the warmth of the campfire in your heart;

"And may the Creator Spirit [Byamee] always walk with you." - Elizabeth Pike

"Ngiyani winangay ganunga"

We remember them.

WRG invites all Southern Highlanders to make the pilgrimage to Myall Creek in 2022, to pay their respects and continue the work of justice and the healing of Australia. It's a journey that leads to our own personal growth, learning, reconciliation and joy.

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