ANTaR Innovative Reconciliation Prize 2005

The winner of the Inaugural ANTaR Innovative Reconciliation Prize 2005 was awarded at the Braidwood Town Hall on March 20 as part of the Two Fires Festival of Arts and Activism.

The winner of the prize was the Myall Creek Massacre Memorial. The prize was accepted on behalf of the Myall Creek Massacre Memorial Committee by Rev. Dr. John Brown

.

The Innovative Reconciliation Prize was established as a partnership between ANTaR and the Two Fires Festival. Inspired by the legacy of poet and reconciliation activist Judith Wright, the prize aims to celebrate and foster community-based reconciliation initiatives that are creative, meaningful and effective. ANTaR has decided to make it an annual prize.

The shortlist for 2005 was as follows:

• Freedom Ride 2005 (NSW)
• Kodja Place Visitor & Interpretive Centre (WA)
• Murunna Point Cultural Identification Trail (NSW)
• Myall Creek Massacre Memorial (NSW)
• NAIDOC in the Park (Vic)
• Ngarrindjeri Justice & Peace Candlelight Walk (SA)
• Sit Down at My Table (Vic)
• The Torch Project (Vic)
• Warriparinga Interpretive Centre -incorporating the Living Kaurna Cultural Centre (SA)
• The Water Walks Project (NSW)
• Woodford Bay Reconciliation Memorial (NSW)
• Woven Histories (Vic)

The judges had a difficult task. Each of the twelve entries shortlisted for this award is an important, meaningful and effective project.

The judges felt that the difficult and sometimes painful process undertaken by the group of people involved in the Myall Creek Project has produced a Memorial of national significance. In bringing together the descendants and representatives of the victims and perpetrators of the massacre in an act of reconciliation, they have shown that an honest appraisal of our history is not divisive. In fact it helps the healing. To quote the 18th century Italian writer Vico in his book The New Science,

"If we knowingly tamper with any facts from the past, we corrupt the present and disable ourselves from dealing with the future."

The organisers of the Myall Creek Massacre Memorial have gone a long way towards enabling us to deal with the future through an honest, inclusive and healing acknowledgement of the past.

A memorial service is held at the site each year on the Saturday closest to the anniversary date, 10 June 1838. Recently the memorial was vandalised (see link below). The Myall Creek Memorial Massacre Committee plans to build an education centre at the site. See the links below for further information.

The Myall Creek Massacre - Its History, Its Memorial and the Opening
Ceremony. Published by the Myall Creek Massacre Memorial Committee.
Available from Rev. Dr. John Brown <johnpb@austarmetro.com.au> for $2:50.

Myall Creek Massacre Memorial
A webpage from the NSW Country Areas Program website

ABC Australian Story: Bridge Over Myall Creek
http://www.abc.net.au/austory/transcripts/s332825.htm

ABC Perspective, 5 June 2003
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/perspective/stories/s870787.htm

Myall Memorial vandalised - 31 Jan 2005
http://news.sbs.com.au/livingblack/index.php?action=news&id=104135