Australian Embassy and Mission to the EU

Belgium-Luxembourg

Embassy address: Rue Guimardstraat 6-8, 1040 Brussels - Telephone: +32 (0) 2 286 0500 - Fax: +32 (0) 2 231 07 88

EVENTS

► National Reconciliation Week 2010

National Reconciliation Week is celebrated annually from 27 May to 3 June.
It celebrates the rich culture and history of the First Australians - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples - and their strong contribution to Australian society today.

It is also a time of reflection, to look back upon Australia’s history, including its darker side, to see how far we have come along the road of reconciliation and see what still needs to change.

The history of National Reconciliation Week begins in 1996 when it was formally adopted as a national focus for all reconciliation activities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. However the idea has its roots in 1993 when ‘faith communities’ first began to hold an annual week of prayer for reconciliation.
National Reconciliation Week further coincides with two very significant dates in the history of race relations in Australia:

- 27 May marks the anniversary of the 1967 Referendum, in which more than 90 per cent of Australians voted to remove clauses in the Australian Constitution which discriminated again Indigenous Australians - excluding them from citizenship. The 1967 Referendum was by far the most overwhelming ‘Yes’ vote at an Australian referendum ever recorded, more so even than Federation.

- 3 June marks the anniversary of the Australian High Court judgement in the 1992 Mabo case. A decision that for the first time recognised the Native Title rights of Indigenous Australians as the original inhabitants of this continent and overturned the myth of terra nullius (empty land). The myth upon which the colonisation of this country was justified and which informed Australian legal practice for over a century.

This year, National Reconciliation Week has a third date to commemorate. National Reconciliation Week 2010 celebrates the ten year anniversary of the Bridge Walks in May 2000, which saw 300,000 Australians walk across the Sydney Harbour Bridge in support of Reconciliation, an event subsequently replicated in other cities and towns around the country.

The theme for National Reconciliation Week this year is “Reconciliation: Lets see it through!”. It aims to highlight the achievements that have been made since the Bridge Walks of 2000. While we acknowledge there is still a long way to go, Australia as a nation is working towards resetting relations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians and achieving long lasting and real reconciliation.
To this end, the Australian Government is supporting the establishment of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Healing Foundation to address grief and loss issues among Indigenous Australians, with a strong focus on the Stolen Generations.

The Government also considers that a national Indigenous representative body is a prerequisite to enabling new partnerships and re-setting relationships with Government.

Members of the first Congress Executive of the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples have now been appointed and will soon commence the important work of representing Indigenous Australians in the policy arena. This body is the first such organisation chosen entirely by Indigenous Australians to represent Indigenous Australians. It will play a key role in the Government’s commitment to developing genuine partnerships to “Close the Gap” on life expectancy and opportunities.

Australia was pleased to announce its support for the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples last year.
Australia also celebrates the recent election of the first Indigenous Australian woman, Megan Davis, to the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, following a successful lobbying campaign by the Australian Government.

► ANZAC Day on the Western Front - Sunday, 25 April 2010

As every year on 25 April, Australians all over the world will gather at memorial services to commemorate ANZAC Day, remembering the sacrifice of those who lost their lives for our freedom.

ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps; the soldiers in those forces became known as ANZACs, and the pride they soon took in that name, as well as the ideals of courage, endurance and mateship, still prevail these days.

The commemoration of ANZAC Day, considered to be Australia’s most important national event, marks the anniversary of the landing at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915, the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War.

In Belgium, the cities of Zonnebeke and Ypres on ANZAC Day traditionally honour the Australian Diggers who died in the fields of Flanders, where 6000 Australian volunteer soldiers gave their life during World War I.

This year, the delegation, led by the Australian Ambassador, HE Dr Brendan Nelson, will be joined by Australian citizens and students.

The Zonnebeke authorities will be welcoming the delegation with a breakfast followed by speeches and exchange of gifts. Following this, all will move to Tyne Cot Cemetery in Passchendaele where 1011 Australians are buried.

In Ypres, the Australian delegation will meet the New Zealand delegation and local officials, and all will march in procession from the Cloth Hall to the Menin Gate for a Last Post ceremony, and then to the Belgian War Memorial. Following those ceremonies, the Ypres Mayor will host a reception at the Town Hall with speeches, exchange of gifts and drinks, which all are welcome to attend.

The program of the day:
07.15: Departing Brussels (Australian Embassy) to Zonnebeke
09.00: Reception at the Zonnebeke Chateau
10.00: Ceremony at Tyne Cot Cemetery
11.00: YLast Post ceremony, Ypres - Menin Gate
12.00: Official reception at Ypres town hall
13.00: End of the official program
14.15: Afternoon program - guided tour on 'The Road to Passchendaele' including Tyne Cot Cemetery and the Old Railway

If you wish to reserve a seat on the Australian Embassy coach to attend the Anzac Day ceremonies, please contact the Public Affairs Unit at the Australian Embassy
by email: pubaffs.brussels@dfat.gov.au
by phone: +32 ( 0)2 286 05 11/04

The deadline for securing a seat on the Australian Embassy coach is Friday 16 April. Since seats are limited, seat allocation will be on a first-in/first-served basis. Please note that the coach will not pick up or drop off guests on the way to and from Zonnebeke and/or Ypres.

The Australian Embassy is located on:
Rue Guimardstraat 6-8
1040 Brussels

Metro: Arts-Loi/Kunst-Wet

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