By JESSE GRAHAM
AN HONOUR roll acknowledging outstanding indigenous Victorians is on display at the Healesville Library for a few more days, following an opening event last week.
On Thursday 18 June, Jaclyn Symes MLC joined Yarra Ranges councillors, Eastern Regional Library staff and community members at the library to unveil the Victorian Aboriginal Honour Roll.
The honour roll features 64 Indigenous Australians who have been recognised for their lifetime achievements, and includes five local faces, including William Barak, Simon Wonga and Healesville’s own Aunty Dot Peters.
The roll features photographs and life stories from Indigenous Victorians who have done outstanding things or been leaders for their communities, and is displayed in different places as part of an annual roadshow, before being returned to Parliament House.
Aunty Dot, for example, campaigned for the recognition of Victorian Indigenous men and women who served in conflicts overseas and did not receive recognition of their efforts due to their race, and had their families excluded from the same compensation as non-Indigenous Australians.
On 31 May, 2006, as a result of Aunty Dot’s work, a Victorian Indigenous Men and Women Remembrance Service was held at the Shrine of Remembrance, with the Aboriginal and Torres strait Islander flags flown at the shrine for the first time.
Cr Len Cox, also the chairman of Eastern Regional Libraries (ERL), opened the event, before Aunty Joy Wandin-Murphy presented a Welcome to Country and speeches followed by Cr Fiona McAllister, Jaclyn Symes and Aunty Dot.
Ms Symes said the honour roll roadshow was stopping in Healesville for the first time, and told the stories of Barak, Wonga and Aunty Dot contained in the honour roll.
She encouraged residents to nominate inspirational Indigenous community members to be part of the 2015 induction in the honour roll.
“I found the most worthy people are the people out there in the community, getting on with it and doing what’s right,” Ms Symes said.
Aunty Dot, meanwhile, spoke about her work in campaigning for recognition of Indigenous soldiers, and offered sage words to the gathered crowd.
“We’ve got a great country and we’ve got to work together to keep it that way,” she said.
The Victorian Aboriginal Honour Roll will be on display at Healesville Library, at the Healesville Community Link behind the Memorial Hall, until Thursday 25 June.
Nominations for the 2015 inductions to the honour roll are being accepted until Tuesday 30 June at 5pm.
For more information or to nominate an Indigenous community member, visit www.dpc.vic.gov.au.
