Woodford Bay - Memorial Ceremony & DVD/Study Guide

WOODFORD BAY RECONCILIATION MEMORIAL CEREMONY 2004 JOURNEY OF THE SPIRIT

Woodford Bay, Longueville on Sydney’s Lower North Shore: Cameraygal Country, Saltwater Country

On 7 February 2004 over five hundred Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people from across  Sydney and NSW, gathered on a grassy foreshore at Woodford Bay on Sydney’s Lower North Shore, where the Lane Cove River / Turrumburra enters Sydney Harbour. They came together in Cameraygal Country for an important and historic event to give public acknowledgement of Aboriginal resistance to British invasion.

Following the sacred Smoking Ceremony and Dance of Mourning, people stood as a mark of  respect as Her Excellency, Professor Marie Bashir AC, Governor of NSW and Rob Welsh, Chairperson of the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council, raised two small branches of eucalyptus leaves to jointly unveil the Woodford Bay Reconciliation Memorial Plaque: 

 

"MEMORIAL PLAQUE TO HONOUR AND  RECOGNISE  THE  CAMERAYGAL  PEOPLE WHO  DEFENDED  THEIR  COUNTRY  BY  RESISTING  BRITISH  INVASION"

The event was initiated by Lane Cove Residents for Reconciliation in partnership with the  Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council, Lane Cove Historical Society, Lane Cove Council and community.

This ceremony was layered in meaning with spiritual, historical and social dimensions. It was both an event in itself & a vision for the future. Walking Together and acknowledging the truths of our entwined Black and White history is fundamental to Reconciliation; to social justice; and to a truly united Australia.

 

Find Out More

Flyer;

Woodford Bay Background;

Program;

Historical Statement;

Ceremony Story;

Painting 'Journey of The Spirit' Storyline;

History Sources/References; 

Speeches 

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WOODFORD  BAY  RECONCILIATION  MEMORIAL  CEREMONY JOURNEY  OF  THE  SPIRIT DVD/STUDY GUIDE 2008

DVD(33mins)  &  STUDY  GUIDE(20pp insert)

On 14 October 2008 the “Woodford Bay Reconciliation Memorial Ceremony Journey of The Spirit”  DVD & Study Guide was launched at Lane Cove Civic Centre by Professor Larissa Behrendt, Kamilaroi/Yualawuy Nations, Director, Jumbunna Indigenous House of Learning, UTS, Sydney. The DVD & Study Guide was produced by Lane Cove Residents for Reconciliation in partnership with the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council

This important Reconciliation and educational resource frames the local Reconciliation Memorial Ceremony of 2004 in a national context of Aboriginal resistance to invasion and dispossession. It encourages schools and other educational institutions, Aboriginal Organisations, Reconciliation Groups, Community Organisations, Historical Societies, Faith Groups, Corporations and Local Governments across the nation, to work together in researching and recording the truth of their own local Aboriginal/non-Aboriginal history.

ENDORSED BY: 
NSW Reconciliation Council; Tranby Aboriginal College, Sydney; NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group, reviewed in 'Teaching History' by Jennifer Lawless, NSW Board of Studies

The DVD MENU facilitates flexible use including access to: 
* Introduction
* Summary
* Before 1788
* 1788 and After: Invasion, Resistance, Consequences.
* Ceremony
* On the Spot Interviews
* Reconciliation Challenge.

 

Find Out More

DVD/Study Guide Order Form

Timeline

Launch Speeches;

‘Koori Mail’ Article;

'Teaching History' Journal Review of DVD/Study Guide

 

 

 

Three Plaques

In 1974 a plaque was erected by the Lane Cove Historical Society and community to mark the first recorded British landing at Woodford Bay in February 1790.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 1988 a plaque was erected by Lane Cove Council and community to celebrate the Australian Bicentenary of British settlement in January 1788.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In February 2004 the Woodford Bay Reconciliation Memorial Plaque was erected by Lane Cove Residents for Reconciliation, Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council, Lane Cove Historical Society, Lane Cove Council and community. This plaque, placed between the two existing plaques, gives long-awaited balance and truth to our shared Australian history by acknowledging the Cammeraygal people who defended their Country by resisting British invasion.

 

 

 

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