Hello everyone. My name’s Shane Clark, of the Bunurong Land Council. A Traditional Custodian of these lands of where we are today, and where we gather. I’d like to start by acknowledging and paying my respects to my Elders, both past and present and remember that we walk in the footsteps of our ancestors, that’s walked on these lands for a very long time. I’d like to welcome you and everybody around us in the community, to come together and share and embrace, what we have around us in the community and acknowledge and pay our respects to each other.
We come together in unity, caring for each other and walking together in a significant area of Brighton. When we walk on Country, tread lightly, because underneath our feet our history sleeps. Come with purpose. Come together, sharing stories, history, culture.
So wominjeka. Welcome all my friends to the lands of the Bunurong.
The Bunurong clans and the Bunurong tribal area. This covers from the Werribee River, takes in the south of Melbourne, to the foothills of the Dandenongs, Wilsons Prom, French Island, Phillip Island, Point Nepean and round Port Phillip Bay. And the tribes of these areas are; Yallock-Bulluk, Mayone-Bulluk, Ngaruk-Willam, Yakulit Willam, Bunerong Bulluk, Kurung jang balug and the tribal group for this area was Ngaruk-Willam.
When we talk about being on Country and connecting to Country, it’s connecting to what’s underneath our feet. And if we all took a moment, close our eyes and look at the world through our mindsight, and hear. And you can listen to the wildlife. You can listen to the vegetation, the trees, the waterways. You can hear the birds singing, you can hear waves crashing on the shores.
I think it’s important to understand the cultural protocols and practices of First Nations people and also the Bunurong around their ceremonies. Because we welcome people to Country and also for safe passage while on Country. Because also through smoking ceremonies, it’s a really significant part of our culture. It’s about cleansing, cleansing your murrup, your spirit. We go through the ceremony when we go onto Country. We do that when we leave Country as well. And it’s about everybody coming together and embracing each other. But remember that we walk on the Country of the Bunurong. And it’s about walking together and learning together. Because Aboriginal people have been journeying for a long time. We won’t stop journeying and I hope that people are on that journey with us.