A message of appreciation, hope and commitment for NAIDOC Week

As we mark 50 Deadly Years of NAIDOC, we give thanks for the wisdom, courage and faithfulness of Elders past and present. We honour those who stood firm in the face of injustice, those who carried language, story, ceremony, culture and faith through generations, and those who continued to choose hope when the road was hard. Their leadership has strengthened families, communities, churches and this nation, and their love has made a way for others to walk with greater confidence, dignity and pride.

Across these five decades, we recognise significant milestones in the long journey towards justice and flourishing: the ongoing struggle for land rights and self-determination; the hard-won improvements in health equity and community-controlled care; and the growing participation and achievement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, young people and adults in schools, universities and lifelong learning. These gains did not come easily. They were carried by Elders, families, leaders, advocates, allies, artists, teachers, healers, ministers and communities who believed that another way was possible.

We give thanks to our Creator God, the beginning and the end of all things, from whom the richness of our blessings and the depth of our hope flows. God has held memory, story, song, language, Country and culture through generations. God has been present in suffering and in celebration, in resistance and renewal, in grief and healing, and in the quiet strength of communities who have kept walking in faith, love and courage.

We also acknowledge with humility the places where we, as a society, have fallen short. We confess the times when Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have not been listened to, honoured, protected or believed; the times when culture has been celebrated without responsibility; and the times when resilience has been admired without changing the systems that caused harm. This NAIDOC Week, we call for honest reflection, prayerful discernment from all Australians, so that each of us may better understand our collective and individual roles in truth-telling, justice, healing and reconciliation.

In Christ, we are called towards community freedoms and flourishing for all people: a shared life shaped by dignity, respect, responsibility, compassion and peace. We pray that First and Second Peoples may continue to walk together in covenant, not only through words, but through deeds of justice, humility and care. We seek to strengthen relationships that are culturally safe, spiritually grounded and life-giving, so that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples can be fully themselves, with identity, and authority honoured.

Looking to the next 50 years, we place our hope in the young ones who are rising now. We seek to build up opportunities for young adults and youth to know the richness of God’s love, the healing that comes through belonging, and the strength that comes from knowing, being and doing as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples grounded in cultural richness. May they be formed under the wise and gentle counsel of Elders, strengthened by the Holy Spirit, and encouraged to bring the fullness of who they are into the life of community, church and nation.

For all that has been carried, achieved and protected, we say thank you. For all that remains the work yet to be done, we ask for courage and grace. For the next 50 years and beyond, we lift our eyes to the Lord, trusting that the Creator God who has walked with our old people will continue to guide our young people, renew our communities, and lead us together in faith, hope and love.

In Christ we celebrate, Happy NAIDOC week,

Sincerely,

Kym Korbe,

Chairperson, QCT-ATSICRG

Dr Kate Power

General Secretary, Queensland Churches Together