Reconciliation

Dadirri is to listen deeply and be silent, to hear the silence then to be able to listen.

Dadirri is to be still and wait.

Let us all be still, be silent and truly hear the silence.

In silence we can hear the land we are meeting on, the land of the Ngunnawal people.

In silence we can hear our elders past and the struggles they have fought for their nations.

In silence we can hear our present elders and those that will take their place.

In silence we can hear our rivers and the salt water.

In silence we can hear the currents of our rivers and sea, the current will have its own pace and direction, it cannot be made faster or slower.

In silence we can all become part of that current and only then can we reconcile our past with our present and change our future.

In silence we would like to honour the ongoing contribution all First Nation Australians make to our society and culture

Thank you Ben Matthews and Mental Health Community Coalition ACT for these beautiful words.