“All we want is for people to get an understanding”: Gippsland Reconciliation Week highlights Indigenous history and knowledge
Kurnai Elder Linda Mullet said some visitors to the exhibitions were so emotionally impacted they left speechless.
Jacob Wallace
June 05, 2025
Reconciliation Week events were held throughout Gippsland last week as community groups highlighted the region's rich Indigenous history.
The Gippsland Monitor spoke to Kurnai Elder Linda Mullet and Gippsland Reconciliation Group representatives Dr Marg Lynn and Gayle Margaret about the community events held across the region, as people came together to celebrate Indigenous history and culture and encourage reconciliation gatherings, discussion and activities.
“All we want is for people to get an understanding of how Aboriginal people sit in this country, how we see this country and how we see ourselves working side by side as a community,” said Elder Linda Mullet.
At the Mirboo North Shire Hall, more than 100 locals visited the Kurnai Cultural Expo where Mirboo North & District Reconciliation worked with the Kurnai Aboriginal Corporation to showcase thousands of years of Kurnai history and culture in Gippsland.
Visitors at the Mirboo North Shire Hall Reconciliation Week Expo.
Part of the exhibition detailed the series of massacres committed by European settlers and the Aboriginal Police that occurred throughout Gippsland during the Australian Frontier Wars.
“There were two men that couldn't even speak to me because they were so emotional about what they were reading,” said Linda. “I didn't force the issue but they thanked me and it was quite emotional for people.”
Locals Rosemary Cousins and Richard Nankin recently found two axe grinding stones on their rural Hallston property and used the Mirboo North exhibition as a chance to hand back these cultural artifacts to the Kurnai people.
Three generations of Kurnai were present to accept the grinding stones. They will be studied and recorded by heritage staff before a formal handback ceremony will be held.
“It would have been people from the Kurnai country, the Brataualung and the Brayakaulung would have been using these to grind the men's axes,” said Linda. “That was very emotional on both sides.”
Kurnai Elder Linda Mullet (second from the right) accepted the grinding stones from locals Locals Rosemary Cousins and Richard Nankin.
Bass Coast/South Gippsland Reconciliation Group organised a Sorry Day event at Cape Paterson which was attended by more than 150 people.
“It's been running for a number of years now. Gets bigger every year,” said Gippsland Reconciliation Group representative Dr Marg Lynn.
Kane Horvath, the Aboriginal Liaison Officer for Gippsland Southern Health Service, held a flag raising event at Leongatha last Wednesday.
Gippsland Southern Health Service held a flag raising ceremony.
My Library showed eight films in Foster, Leongatha, Inverloch and Cowes to highlight Gippsland’s Indigenous history. In Foster, a flag raising and reconciliation ceremony was also held.
Steve Ulula Parker, a descendant of the Boonwurrung, Yorta Yorta and Erub country, has an exhibition that opened on Saturday at the Cowess Berninneit cultural centre.
Gayle said there had been overwhelming community support and positive feedback about the events.
Reconciliation week is held from May 27 to June 3 each year. It marks the date of the 1967 referendum, which included Indigenous Australians in official population counts, and the date the Mabo decision was made by the High Court of Australia, which recognised Native Title in Australia.
Kurnai Elder Linda said that reconciliation still has a long way to go.
“We're still a long way from coming together and sharing each other's knowledge. We should be learning from each other so that these mistakes don't happen again.”
The Mirboo North exhibition will form part of the NAIDOC week exhibition, held at the West Gippsland Art Centre in Warragul between July 6 and July 13.
