Seeing things through Indigenous eyes

In 2022, the Rotary Club of Moonah decided it was time we corrected our own ignorance about the colonisation of Australia and the impact this had and still has on Aboriginal people.

Members decided to host a NAIDOC week event to show their respect for and support of the Tasmanian Aboriginal community during their big week of celebration.

First, they advertised the NAIDOC Flag Raising Ceremonies happening around the state to all fellow Tasmanian Rotary clubs, and a number did attend.

Then, Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre provided a guest speaker for a short ‘Introduction to Tasmanian Aboriginal Culture’ evening event. All southern clubs were invited and about 20 Rotarians attended.

“On opening our hearts to the two young presenters, we started to see things through Indigenous eyes, and how the ongoing effects of colonisation, dispossession of land, and loss of culture needed to be justly resolved. This first step brought us closer to our Aboriginal fellow citizens.”

The evening reinforced the commonly held view that the average Tasmanian Rotarian was extremely uninformed about our dark national past and today’s Aboriginal community.

“We were never taught this at school, and no one has ever explained it” was the common feedback from participants. The majority of Rotarians are no longer overtly racist, however, we all have to recognise that because of our ignorance we are often racist on the inside. We hold onto views that are racist at their core.

“On opening our hearts to the two young presenters, we started to see things through Indigenous eyes, and how the ongoing effects of colonisation, dispossession of land, and loss of culture needed to be justly resolved,” says Rotary Club of Moonah member John Jessop. “This first step brought us closer to our Aboriginal fellow citizens.”

The club believes NAIDOC week activities are something every Rotary club should consider implementing. Start the conversation.

NAIDOC Week is an Australian observance running from the first Sunday in July until the following Sunday. The acronym stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee, which was originally National Aborigines Day Observance Committee. NAIDOC Week is a wonderful opportunity for Australians to come together to celebrate and honour Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their histories, cultures, achievements and continuing contributions to our country.