‘There is a healing that is needed’:How Australia Day celebrations are changing

The Australian and Aboriginal flags will be raised together on the Sydney Harbour Bridge on January 26,marking the third year Australia Day will begin in a more reflective manner in Sydney.

On Tuesday,the NSW government also announced that the sails of the Sydney Opera House will be lit up in a display of First Nations artwork by Kamilaroi artist Rhonda Sampson on the national holiday.

William Barton,Isaiah Firebrace and Koomurri dancers will perform as part of the Australia Day 2023 program.

William Barton,Isaiah Firebrace and Koomurri dancers will perform as part of the Australia Day 2023 program.Rhett Wyman

‘There is a healing that is needed and we need to do it together.’

Yvonne Weldon,Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council deputy chair

A host of Indigenous performers will appear at free concerts,and the January 25 Vigil:Awaken, part of the Sydney Festival at Barangaroo Reserve,will be followed by WugulOra Morning Ceremony,which this year will celebrate its 20-year anniversary.

These events are part of a national movement to broaden January 26 from a celebration of the day in 1788 when the First Fleet arrived in Sydney Cove,to a commemoration for Indigenous people,said Yvonne Weldon,the deputy chair of the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council that organises the Indigenous ceremony at Barangaroo.

“WugulOra is respectful in honouring those who have fallen,continue to suffer but is also about moving forward and how as a state and country we can do this with the First Nations,” Weldon said.

“Australia Day is about having yarns and sharing information - that’s what this Australia Day program aims to achieve. There is a healing that is needed and we need to do it together,” she said.

This year’s ceremony will have extra significance with the state government earmarking$43 million for the handing back of Me-Mel (Goat Island) to the Indigenous community,and with a referendum on theIndigenous Voice to parliament likely.

As well as the Indigenous focus,the traditional Sydney Harbour Ferrython which started in 1977,will again take place. Emerald-Class ferries,colourfully dressed in honour of their namesakes – May Gibbs,Catherine Hamlin,Victor Chang and Bungaree - will race on the harbour.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said the national day in NSW will honour the unique set of values that define Australians,including our resilience and unity.

“Our communities have united to face incredible adversity over the past year,and I hope that Australia Day brings people together to celebrate our strength,our generosity and our resilience,” Perrottet said.

Dami Im,who will perform in a free concert on Australia Day 2023.

Dami Im,who will perform in a free concert on Australia Day 2023.Rhett Wyman

“Our history isn’t perfect,but for all our flaws,and for all the challenges we face,today let’s remember that,as Australians,we have so much to be grateful for and proud of,and a right to feel hopeful and optimistic for the future.”

Singers Dami Im,Christine Anu,Casey Donovan and Isaiah Firebrace,will be joined by didgeridoo player William Barton and the Hurstville-based Koomurri dancers,to perform at the Australia Day Live free outdoor concerts on the evening of January 26 at Circular Quay.

Im will perform a rendition of the Hunters&Collectors songThrow your Arms Around Me,joined by the Fijian abattoir workers who volunteered,sang and raised spirits while helping Lismore residents during the devastating floods of 2022.

Fijian workers took to signing to lift the spirits in Lismore following the devastating floods that destroyed many homes and businesses.

Australia Day Council of NSW chair Andrew Parker said the NSW Program continues to engage with all Australians at a deeper level.

“Australia Day celebrates the community coming together and the incredible tapestry of different backgrounds and cultures that makes Australia unique,” he said.

Australia Day Creative Director John Foreman said:“The day is about celebrating and shining a spotlight on our diversity. The evening concert,with its powerful performances and tributes,adds greater meaning to our national day and celebrates the Australian spirit.”

“We are thinking about the day in a deeper way.”

NSW Local Hero in the Australian of the Year awards,Amar Singh,the president of the charity Turbans 4 Australia,will deliver the NSW Australia Day address at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse on January 20.

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Helen Pitt is a journalist at the The Sydney Morning Herald.

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