Working at Portable has given me the chance to learn many things I’ve never before thought to learn. For me, the Acknowledgement of Country is an important part of any gathering. We collectively and quietly honour the traditional owners of the stolen lands on which we meet.
But it’s always the same words. So that must be sanctioned; written by someone authorised to write such things. Right?
That was until I met Rhys and Emma from Acknowledge This. Through their workshop I learned that it was OK to write my own words. In fact, it was more authentic to express my own acknowledgement than to recite something by rote.
Many organisations, schools and people are delivering Acknowledgements of Country (AoC) without truly understanding why.
Because of this, most people who deliver an AoC read from a script, ad lib one they’ve heard elsewhere or, worst case scenario, treat it as a “tick box” part of housekeeping. This tokenistic presentation defeats the purpose of AoC’s which are meant to make you feel connected to each other, country and culture.
Acknowledge This!
During the workshop, we all had a chance to write our own genuine and personal acknowledgement. On this page you will find a number of different acknowledgements I have written. Each of them personal. I post them here to help encourage you to find your own voice, and to make a genuine and personal Acknowledgement of Country. (And if you’re still hesitant, Acknowledge This have a fortnightly public workshop you can join!)
I hope you find them useful in finding your own voice.
My First Acknowledgement
I wrote this one during the workshop. It let me identify myself by the lands on which I was born and the lands on which I now live.
My name is Rick, I’m a second generation Australian.
Today we are joining together from all across the world. We bring together many cultures and many stories.
I was born on the traditional land of the Braiakaulung (Bray a cow lung) people in what is now known as Morwell in Eastern Victoria. Today I live in Wadawurrung country near the banks of the Werribee River — a word that means backbone in the local language.
I would like to acknowledge and pay my respects to the our elders, both past and present. And also recognise the emerging leaders.
This always was, and always will be Aboriginal land.
Lollipop Creek
I volunteered to give the morning acknowledgement for Portable’s weekly all-hands. I was able to use pictures to illustrate my local landscape.
Today we are joining together from all across Australia. We bring together many cultures and many stories.
This is a waterhole about 200 meters from where I am today. It is on the traditional lands of the Wadawurrung people. To my east is the Werribee River and the lands of the Woi Wurrung. A word meaning “red earth”. This red earth is seen in the cliffs alongside the river.
K-Road Cliffs
The soil is very fertile and, along with the fish life in the bay provided the Woi Wurrung with an abundant food source. They would often have met their needs by early afternoon and were known to have a rich cultural life including music, dance and art.
I would like to acknowledge and pay my respects to our elders, here and around the country, both past and present.
When European settlers arrived, these rich soils became Victoria’s food bowl. If you’ve eaten a green vegetable, it was probably grown here.
Despite the farming, this always was, and always will be Aboriginal land.
Wurdi Youang
This one was used on the Summer Solstice. One of our team reminded me of the Wurdi Youang stones at the base of the nearby You Yangs.
As we meet together today I want to acknowledge the custodianship of the different indigenous groups on whose lands we meet today. I grew up in Lara, on Wadawurrung land. Lara is right at the foot of the You Yangs. Like the Wudawurung for thousands of years, these hills form a landmark for me. As I cross the Westgate, or drive home from Ballarat, or walk the beaches across the bay, I see their distinctive shape. Earlier this week Aishling posted on Slack about the Wurdi Youang stones at the base of the You Yangs. These stones align with the solstice, and are older (by far) than Stonehenge in England. The custodianship of our land is ancient and ongoing. This always was, and always will be aboriginal land.
Jan 24, 2022
In January I was giving the acknowledgement in the same week as the 26th of January. The day in 1788 that Europeans invaded Australia.
Today is January 24th. In 1788, it was the day the first fleet made their way from Botany Bay to Port Jackson. On Wednesday we mark the anniversary of the day Arthur Philip raised the British flag on sovereign Australian soil for the first time and claimed it for England. And so began the invasion and continuous dispossession of Aboriginal land.
This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the establishment of the Tent Embassy in Canberra. Four men, some signs, a beach umbrella, and a mission that continues today. The longest continuous culture on earth, and the longest continuous site of protest in the world.
At Portable we are joining together from all across the world. We bring together many cultures and many stories. Stories of invasion and dispossession, but also stories of strength, resilience, and protest.
I would like to acknowledge and pay my respects to the our elders, both past and present. And to recognise emerging leaders.
This always was, and always will be Aboriginal land.
Archie Roach
When Archie Roach passed away it reminded me of the time I had met him, and the things I learned that weekend …
We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the lands on which we are meeting today. We acknowledge that we are living and working on land that has been inhabited and cared for by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for tens of thousands of years. We pay our respect to Elders past and present.
I grew up in Geelong, and a few years back I was at a justice festival in Queenscliff. Archie Roach was one of the guests there. It was the song “Took the Children Away” that first introduced me to the stolen generations.
Also at that festival was Mark Holden. His family has been on the Bellarine Peninsula since the 1800s and he’s had to come to terms with his own family history.
These things are never far away.
I went to school in Geelong suburb of Bell Post Hill. Nobody ever told me where the name came from. It was only at that justice festival where I learned that it was named for a bell that would be rung if Aboriginal people were seen in the area. They would be chased off or killed.
These things are never far away.
So today I acknowledge the indigenous owners of this land, and recommit myself to justice.
