“Family connection”: Cherbourg yarns with Uluru Dialogue leaders about Voice
Representatives from The Uluru Dialogue team have travelled to the Indigenous community of Cherbourg in Queensland to discuss the upcoming Voice to Parliament referendum. Image credit: The Uluru Dialogue
The Indigenous community of Cherbourg, located 250km north-west of Brisbane, has hosted a Voice to parliament information session.
The Uluru Dialogue team in recent weeks has been touring Queensland and New South Wales hosting similar information sessions to provide First Nations people and local communities with a chance to gain a better understanding of what the proposed Voice to parliament is all about and why it is so important.
So far The Uluru Dialogue team has held information sessions across Queensland including at Cooktown, Laura, Cairns, Mossman, Ingham, Innisfail and Mareeba.
Aunty Pat Anderson AO was joined by Professor Megan Davis at Cherbourg on Thursday, where they discussed the Uluru Statement from the Heart and the upcoming Voice referendum with the local community. Image credit: The Uluru Dialogue
They have also been spreading the word across several NSW regions and towns including Lightning Ridge, Walgett, Narrabri, Moree and Lithgow, as well as across Sydney.
On Thursday, proud Cherbourg man and Uluru Statement signatory Merv Riley and The Uluru Dialogue Co-Chairs Professor Megan Davis and Aunty Pat Anderson AO met and yarned with locals about the upcoming referendum and how a Voice to parliament will work.
"All of our team has distant and close family connections to Cherbourg, from myself and Lucy Davis, Merv Riley, Kirstie Parker and even Aunty Pat!" Professor Davis posted to social media following the event.
"My connection to Cherbourg has played a significant part in my life and my career,” she'd said ahead of the information session.
“My grandfather was taken off country (Warra) and placed at Barambah mission, now known as Cherbourg. My grandfather and his two brothers escaped, but his three sisters couldn’t. They remained there and raised their families, where many still live today.
"This all occurred under laws and policies made by government. These laws have had massive impacts on communities like Cherbourg; these impacts were retold by many Aboriginal communities across the country throughout the dialogues."
The Voice information session was held at the Cherbourg Community Hall.
The Uluru Statement from the Heart painting was displayed at Cherbourg Community Hall during the Voice information session. (Image credit: The Uluru Dialogue)
