A Long Weekend Approaches
Say a prayer, march with our brothers and sisters, sing a song
Here I am….
…in my naturally stunning home, Australia.
People will turn to tennis, to the beach as the temperatures rise, to the pub, to the backyard, and wherever humans gather as the first month of the year comes to a close.
Here on our Island Home people will also be heading to the streets. On that day in 1788 ,when the Union Jack was raised on the unceded land of the Gadigal people, the world of the First People of this land changed
On January 26th, fifty years later in 1838, 200 Gamilaroi Aboriginal families were hunted and gunned down and killed at Waterloo Creek in North West New South Wales.
Police and settlers shot and killed women and babies who had no idea why they were being killed.
The generational trauma of this event cannot be overlooked. This was not even 200 years ago.
This was not something that happened in isolation. The genocidal actions of the settlers and government can be read about in many places today. These stories will always be here.
A few years ago I was driving along the Great Ocean Road in Victoria. I came across a place I had not stopped at before called Massacre Bay and nearby the Bay of Martyrs.
There was a chill in the air and darkness in my heart because I quickly understood why such places were named. I did not read about the history until later. Then I discovered that the Indigenous men were forced to jump off the cliffs and women and children were killed in a nearby swamp.
I found this on a tourism site:
“However, there are many contradicting stories and, more importantly, no written evidence of what happened. All that is known is that the population of Aboriginal people dropped from a few thousand to almost none. Some theories believe this was caused by mass migration, but local folklore has other ideas.”
Mass migration my ass.
You could fill pages with tales of massacres, stolen children, deaths in custody, and the general racism that runs deep within this beautiful island home.
Think about the history of this nation as you go through this “holiday” weekend.
Consider meditating on why the majority of the Australian populace voted “No” on the 14th of October 2023. That still brings tears to my eyes.
This is not about gold and green or red, white and blue. Celebrating the occupation of this country and the killing of the people who are still the owners and caretakers of this land, of course, is bad juju.
Say some prayers for the past.
And while you are living in the present, get out and attend an Invasion Day/Survival Day march, rally or gathering.
Here is a list of events across the country this weekend where you can join with the indigenous people of this land to keep the light alive and continue the fight for justice and treaty.
Always Was/Always Will Be
Aboriginal Land
Invasion Day 2025 marches, protests and events…..read on….
Gadigal (Sydney) and surrounds
5:30, Dawn Reflection, Circular Quay
7:30am, Wugulora Morning Ceremony, Walumil Lawns, Barangaroo
10am, Blak Caucus Invasion Day, Belmore Park
11am, Arakwal Survival Day Invasion Day, Apex Park, Byron Bay
11am-5pm, Bermagui Survival Day, Bermagui Oval
11am-3pm, Survival Day Griffith, Griffith Regional Aquatic Leisure Centre
11am- Survival Day Katooma, Katoomba North Public School
5pm, Blak Powerhouse, Manning House, Camperdown
10am – 7pm, Yabun Festival, Victoria Park, Broadway
7pm, Vigil: Truths, Barangaroo Reserve
Naarm (Melbourne) and surrounds
5:30am, Pilk Purriyn – Truth Telling at Sunrise, Cosy Corner, Torquay
5:30, Ballarat Survival Dawn Ceremony, View Point, Lake Wendouree
9am-5pm, Day of Mourning, Queens Gardens, Shepparton
10am, WAR Invasion Day Protest, Victoria Parliament House
12pm – 5pm, Our Survival Day, The Briars, Mount Martha
11:30am, Share The Spirit Festival, Treasury Gardens
Meanjin (Brisbane) and surrounds
9am, Talk Black Rally, Queens Gardens
9am, We Have Survived! Rally, Sunshine Coast City Hall, Maroochyadore
3pm – 8pm, Last Sunset: Activist workshop and community dinner, West End Croquet Club
7:15am, Benarrawa Survival Day, Simpson’s Playground, Graceville Avenue
Gimuy (Cairns) and surrounds
10am, Gimuy Invasion Day Rally, Fogarty Park
5:30am-3pm, Kunbul Survival Day, Strand Park
Kaurna (Adelaide)
7:30am, Mourning in the Morning – Smoking Ceremony, Elder Park, King William Street
9am, Kura Yerlo Survival Day, North Haven Surf Life Saving Club
12pm, Invasion Day Rally, Tandanyangga (Victoria Square)
Ngunnawal (Canberra)
9:30am, Sovereignty Day Rally, Garema Place Canberra
10am, Invasion Day rally, Tent Embassy
Gulumoerrgin (Darwin)
7:45am, Smoking Ceremony, Darwin Waterfront Lagoon
Boorloo (Perth)
12pm, Invasion Day Rally, Forrest Chase
3pm – 7pm, Birak Concert 2025, Supreme Court Gardens
Nipaluna (Hobart) and Limilinaturi (Devonport)
11am, Invasion Day March, Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre
11:30am, Limilinaturi Invasion Day, Talaminakali Health Service
