Yarra leads way

By Kath Gannaway
YARRA Ranges Council marked Reconciliation Week with the launch of its ‘Practical Indigenous Protocols’.
The 10-page document compiled by Council’s Indigenous Advisory Committee is a guide for working with the indigenous community in the Yarra Ranges.
The document aims to assist people to gain an understanding of the heritage and history of the indigenous community in the Yarra Ranges, recognising the traditional owners, the Wurundjeri, and indigenous people from clans and tribes from all around Australia.
Mayor Len Cox officially launched the document at the Council’s Reconciliation Lunch at Sanctuary House in Badger Creek on Thursday. The lunch was attended by members of the local and broader indigenous community, health and community workers within indigenous communities, Yarra Ranges councillors and staff and school principals.
“Yarra Ranges was the first council to produce such a document,” a proud Cr Cox said.
“Yarra Ranges, I believe, has always been headed in the right direction as far as reconciliation is concerned,” he said.
“Back in ’97, Yarra Ranges Council was less than a year old when we agreed to make an apology. It took the federal government 10 years to get around to it.
“Again, we were the first in local, state or federal government to do that.”
Cr Cox said the indigenous population of Yarra Ranges was an important part of the community.
“This document gives non-indigenous people a better understanding of how to engage with the indigenous community in an appropriate manner,” he said.
“A lot of people genuinely don’t know the history and don’t know how to go about these things.”
Chair of the Indigenous Advisory Committee Robyn White said the committee was proud of the protocols document, which was one of a number of projects, including indigenous employment, housing and health they were working on.
“We do a lot of work behind the scenes and it’s wonderful to be able to launch something so worthwhile,” she said.