Approximately 300 people gathered on the land of the Yuwibara people at Bluewater Quay throughout the morning of Thursday, January 26 to commemorate Survival Day.
The event, organised by Mackay Connected Beginnings (MCB), was the first of its kind to be held in Mackay.
The morning involved a march across the Forgan Bridge, a Welcome to Country by Uncle George Tonga and Smoking Ceremony by Peter Tonga, guest speakers and traditional dance, art and food.
MCB Manager Fiona Mann Bobongie, a Darumbal woman, spoke on the day alongside Andrew Doyle, Melanie Kemp and Raechel Ivey.
“We walked in remembrance of our ancestors and those who have fought for our people in the past but also looking to the future to make change,” Ms Mann Bobongie said.
“We remembered and reflected on the atrocities that have happened to our people from a range of things from massacres to displacement from our country, removal from our families.
“We’re still here; that was the message, after 60,000 years, we’re still here, and after all the atrocities, we are still here.
“We’re not only surviving but we’re thriving, too.”
January 26 remains a divisive date in Australian society, with Ms Mann Bobongie saying the date represents the start of the Aboriginal Australia’s downfall.
“90 per cent of our people were killed,” she said.
“Our land was taken, it was the fastest land grab in world history, and it was license to kill.
“Who would think we were still standing after that?
“And we never ceded sovereignty … we never gave it up, we were just invaded, but we took a positive stand of, ‘We are here and we’re still surviving, and we’ve never ceded sovereignty.’”
MCB was also supported by Mackay Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Health Service, MARABISDA and Yuwi Yumba in organising the event.
Ms Mann Bobongie said the work of MCB, also known as Badi Yalobugu Yuribaya (Grow Children Strong), focuses on the future, building strength for family and community for generations to come.
“We’re very patient people,” she said.
“We want to sit and talk, we want to bring everyone together to understand that we have a holistic view of the world.
“We will come and we will go but we need to leave a legacy for our generations to come.”
Badi Yalobaga Yuribaya is a federally funded project for pregnant women and children from birth to school age designed to bring together fragmented and disjointed service systems and build community support for change to provide Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families with holistic support and timely access to services.
For more information on Badi Yalobaga Yuribaya, contact 07 4962 3089 or email manager@badiyy.com.au.
Image: Signs and chants spread the message of the Survival Day March held last Thursday, January 26 on the land of the Yuwibara people. Photo credit: Light Photography
