So now it is the day after.
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The magpies warbled in the breaking dawn. The air was still – not a hint of breeze — as if the land was holding its breath.
The results of the referendum still booming across the country.
No.
Such a small word but one with such power.
A word we all need to face.
To consider what this will mean for us all.
A mirror has been held up to the soul of our nation.
A mirror that reflects who we are as a nation. What we really value, what we really think.
A light been shone on that part of our psyche we have ignored, tried to keep hidden. That part of our national consciousness that has struggled with the reality and brutality of the story of this continent.
The great “Australian Silence”.
Can we continue to consider ourselves as the country of the “fair go”, a country of generosity, a country of inclusion?
We have rejected the generous invitation, offered with love through the Uluru Statement from the Heart. The invitation for us all to walk together in a movement for a better future. The offer to share the rich story of this continent as a “gift” to us all.
We have said “No”.
On Saturday night, in a heartbreakingly poignant performance of Eumeralla: A war requiem for peace, there was a moment of incredible grace, courage and determination.
Deborah Cheetham Fraillon AO, Yorta Yorta woman, soprano, conductor, educator and composer of Eumeralla, took her place on stage alongside the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and a massed choir, including the Dhungala Children’s Choir.
Taking the microphone, Cheetham Fraillon — with great poise — acknowledged the voting trend and the audience’s support.
“It (Eumeralla: war requiem for peace) is a story of resilience and if there is something you can take this evening from this performance take that with you,” she said.
“The resilience of the people who can lay claim to the longest living music practice in the world … we can be part of that together.”
And then she sang, reflecting the courage of her Yorta Yorta Elders who have gone before.
Reflecting the determination to continue despite the almost overwhelming resistance.
Reflecting the power of her Elders who have walked the difficult path to improve outcomes for their communities.
Elders who repeatedly faced “No”, but continued on.
As Cheetham Fraillon wrote in the program, “We need a way to ease the troubled spirit of the battlefields of the Eumeralla”.
“It is my hope that this song, the war requiem, will help the spirits of those who fell, those who resisted and their aggressors, to find a lasting peace and that we, their descendants, might find our way to a deeper understanding of the legacy of these battles.”
Another offer for a better future for us all.
The referendum stirred so many people to do something positive.
People came out — many for the first time — and gave time, energy and a part of their heart.
It is important for all of us that this continues.
Tomorrow morning, the magpies will still welcome the day, the sun will still rise, but there is now a difference in the land.
How we move forward will be the test for us all.
Will we be up to it?
To listen to Eumeralla: war requiem for peace visit:
https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/special-features/classic-live-mso-eumeralla/102922054
Shepparton Region Reconciliation Group