As we approach another anniversary of Australia Day, while it is a wonderful privilege to be Australian and celebrate how fortunate we are to call this great country home, it’s a day that doesn’t unite us all. 

I wanted to take time out on the occasion of this week to do two things. First, to look back to an important exhibition I visited last year in May at the Australian Museum: Unsettled. It changed my understanding of our history by giving me new facts, new stories, and new perspectives.

The second is about looking forward, to the Uluru Statement from the Heart. We’re launching a fundraising initiative this week and there are a few ways you can show your support.

Unsettled seeks to retell the history of our nation from the perspective of our First Nations people. It’s an evidence-based exhibition which takes visitors on a journey from the signal fires lit by Aboriginal people as a warning when Lieutenant Cook sailed up the east coast in 1770, to the resistance and resilience of First Nations peoples since colonisation in 1788. With more than 190 objects and images in the show and over 100 contributions by First Nations peoples across the country, Unsettled illuminates the power of truth-telling.

The show was led by the museum’s First Nations Curator Laura McBride, a Wailwan and Kooma woman.

“Truth-telling about Australia’s past is an important process for understanding who we are now and how we came to be as a nation. Truth-telling can be confronting, but the process can be powerful: grief can make way for healing, and healing unites people who were once divided. It is time we stop pretending that meaningful change can happen in a system that is grounded in denial,” said McBride.

“Without truth, our histories, our lands, our peoples and our relationships will remain unhealed and unsettled. We hope the Unsettled exhibition will shift perceptions and help us develop a national narrative of equity and respect and I encourage everyone to come experience it for themselves,” said McBride.

There are just a few days left to see Unsettled - it closes on 27th of January.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE EXHIBITION HERE

 

Our First Nations people have spoken and asked for 2 things: a constitutionally enshrined voice to parliament, and a truth and reconciliation commission.

From today until January 31 you can purchase any product on our website and choose one of three levels of discount.

We’ll then donate your savings to the UNSW Indigenous Law Centre who is tasked with leading the education campaign to help implement the Uluru Statement from the Heart.

The bigger the discount you choose, the more you save, and the more we donate.

Alternatively, if you’d prefer to donate to UNSW ILC directly 

CLICK HERE

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