It may not have been the best day for a barbecue, but the brave souls at Kingscliff TAFE braved the elements to hold a barbecue to launch National Reconciliation Week on the Tweed Coast on Monday.
National Reconciliation Week (NRW) is celebrated across Australia each year between May 27 and June 3.
The dates commemorate two significant milestones in the reconciliation journey—the anniversaries of the successful 1967 referendum and the High Court Mabo decision.
New Aboriginal Learning Liaison Officer for the area, Chantelle Woods, said the week is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures and achievements and to explore how each of us can join the national reconciliation effort.
She said this year’s event was particularly significant as it marked the 20th anniversary of the Mabo Decision.
Director of North Coast TAFE, Elizabeth McGregor, said Reconciliation Week is a time to reflect on the special place that the north coast of NSW represents in Aboriginal Australia.
“More than one in ten of NSW’s Indigenous people live on the North Coast, and we’re home to three of the most commonly spoken Aboriginal languages of NSW,” says Ms McGregor.
Ms McGregor said that North Coast TAFE shares the belief that education is key to closing the gap, sharing cultures, and achieving reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
