NO HIDING FROM PAST

THE transportation of 75,000 British and Irish convicts to our island in the 19th century, and the devastation inflicted on the state’ s Indigenous population, may not be the fault of anyone living today, but that doesn’t erase the need for us to remember this stain on our past.

No matter how much time passes, this history remains, as does a certain tension, shame and sadness. As Tasmanians we share a responsibility to ensure that this history is never forgotten.

The print copy of this newspaper contains a daily acknowledgment to the traditional custodian soft he land on which the Mercury is produced.

And we wanted to further take the time to pay our respects this NAIDOC Week with this edition of the paper.

The theme is Always Was, Always Will Be and it’ s supposed to bean opportunity to teach Australians to acknowledge and celebrate the true history of our country.

It’s an opportunity to marvel at the duration of our nation’s story, which demonstrates no matter how significant we think the last year has been, it’s a humble moment in time against the more than 65,000 years that have come before us.

The voices of Indigenous Australians are amplified each year during NAIDOC Week, but it’s not nearly enough. We seem to keep making a mess of reconciliation.

At every turn we need to be dragged kicking and screaming as we battle through tokenism, divisive politics and sometimes just flat-out racism.

In collating some of the stories in today’s edition, it became clear that however much progress we have made since those 19th century days, there is still a very, very long way togo.

Take, for example, debate in recent weeks about the flying of the Aboriginal flag at Clarence City Council chambers or above parliament.

It’s taken 60 years for artefacts taken from rock near Marrawah for the viewing pleasure of museum visitors in Hobart and Launceston to be returned.

The stories of the stolen generation and the generational trauma that have resulted still haunt too many people and it’s hard to see what can makeup for it.

But organisations like the Aboriginal Elders Council seem to be helping. As well as providing services to the community, it is recording the stories of elders and making sure they are passed on.

Unfortunately the organisation says it’s cash-strapped and without government support can’t go on.

Our island’s shameful and bloody past can’ t and shouldn’ t be erased, but we can do better to create a better future.

Let us listen to the voice sin our Indigenous communities and hear their truth.