Welcome from Pat Dodson

Welcome!

Our national journey for reconciliation sometimes seems like a long, long road.

But I'm an optimist!

Nelson Mandela was held in prison for 27 years or so.

He probably thought he would never be let out, given the fascism and racism of that government.

Pat Dodson, Father of the Reconciliation Process in Australia


And yet he did achieve his freedom and he's embraced those who had him incarcerated. He went on to make great contributions to his nation and to the planet.

Often you can have a lot of words written, and you can have lot of words said, but you need to have some graphic way to put the history of Australia's relationship with Aboriginal people into some context, so that it is not segmented off into, well this is an issue about housing, this is an issue about health, etc.

You've got to see how this all fits together over a period of 200 years basically and certainly in more contemporary times.

This is what this "Young Australians and the Next 100 Years" Project is about. It interrogates the time and the process though which the plan for the founding a nation called Australia was devised back in 1891, by a small exclusive group, aboard the boat Lucinda on the Hawkesbury River and in Sydney's Middle Harbour. All of the group were white, all of them had an Anglo or Celtic heritage, all of them were of mature years, and all of them were male!

So it is that we're commencing this new venture, in which we're bringing together a diverse group of young Australians to revisit that 1891 process. It's all a part of our long road, and as such I extend a warm welcome to all fellow travellers.

Pat Dodson, January 2008



Created on 02/04/2003 10:24 AM by admin
Updated on 02/20/2008 03:22 AM by admin
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Project Partners

A PROJECT OF THE:
EDMUND RICE CENTRE
IN COOPERATION WITH THE:
LINGIARI FOUNDATION
AND:
ANTaR - Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation
AND WITH SUPPORT FROM:
Oxfam Australia
AND:
Caritas Australia





 

Latest News
The Brooklyn Project's initial five-day gathering will be held from Wed, 2nd Apr to Sun, 6th Apr 08.

This gathering will comprise two stages. The first two days will be held in central Sydney, followed by three days on the Hawkesbury River at Brooklyn, just north of Sydney.

Further details are available under the Brooklyn Gathering section of the main menu.

All direct costs for participation (i.e. meals, accommodation and travel) will be covered by the Project organisers.

The period for lodging applications to participate closed on Friday 29th February. Applications were open to any young person, aged 18 to 30 as at 2nd April 08.

Applicants who were successfully short-listed have been emailed an invitation to participate in Stage II of the selection process. Unsuccessful applicants have been contacted by phone.

If you feel you should have received a Stage I response but have heard nothing, please contact us at the latest by Thursday, 6th March.

The closing date for responses to be lodged in Stage II of the selection process is Thursday 6th March 2008

Anyone that wishes to, may subscribe to the Project's email announcement list which will be available soon.