Yarra Ranges community members, both non-First Nations and First Nations people, showed their advocacy in the meaningful event to tell the truth.
The Walk for Truth was part of the final events of the Yoorrook Justice Commission, Victoria’s formal truth-telling process and the first of its kind in Australia.
Over the past 23 days, Yoorrook deputy chair and commissioner Travis Lovett led the walk across more than 480km, starting in Portland, where colonisation began in Victoria in 1834.
Mr Lovett said he’s incredibly thankful to everyone who joined the journey, whether by walking, volunteering, or learning from Traditional Owners along the way.
“We’ve walked for more than three weeks, across country and through all kinds of weather, carrying the truths of our people with us,” he said.
“This walk is about more than the past.
“It’s about truth, understanding and the future we can build together. It’s about walking side by side, listening deeply with respect and taking steps toward a fairer Victoria for everyone.”
More than five members of the Yarra Valley Reconciliation Group also participated in the walk across different days.
Rod Hysted joined the walk on Tuesday 17 June where he walked about 10km from Footscray Park to Camp Sovereignty in Kings Domain, a site of deep significance, political advocacy and resistance.
“I found it deeply moving. We joined Travis Lovett, who had walked from Portland,” Mr Hysted said.
“We just walked with such a huge group of people. All believed that we need to walk with Aboriginal people in truth and understanding.
“The walk started in the morning with Travis addressing why he was doing this walk, and along the way, we stopped at a number of places of significance to the local Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people, and they spoke about the significance of those areas.
“And there was also a local First Nations person Thane Garvey who spoke of each of those places as well. It was just lovely to hear Thane, talking about his story and the story of our local people.”
On Wednesday 18 June, the participants walked from King’s Domain to Parliament House in the morning and had a celebration of Yoorrook’s work at Federation Square in the afternoon.
Yarra Valley resident Dale Prentice attended the event on both Tuesday and Wednesday.
Mr Prentice said he joined the walk with his wife Libby Prentice as part of the justice group of the Healesville-Yarra Glen Uniting Church and Christians for Yoorrook, an organisation supporting the work of Yoorrook.
“It was the most gracious movement to bring a message to Parliament that I’ve ever participated in,” he said.
“One of the most important points, commissioner Lovett made, is that this document is written by the oppressed rather than the oppressor, which is a very different eye to understanding history.”
Local First Nations people were central in this walk.
Healesville-based Wurundjeri man Thane Garvey represented Wurundjeri people at the walk.
He conducted a Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony on Tuesday and Wednesday, spoke on knowledge, culture history and stories throughout the walk, and did a gift exchange with Mr Lovett.
Mr Garvey said truth telling isn’t divisive but is to bring Australians together.
“Truth-telling has been presented as one of the main aspects of healing when it comes to us moving forward. We can’t move forward without the truth being told because you can’t have recognition or a proper understanding without the real stories being told, and we’ve had a big issue with getting the real history across to the wider community,” he said.
“It’s not just been that we haven’t had the platforms. It hasn’t just been the fact that we haven’t had the opportunities. It’s because it was deliberately shoved under the carpet, and we have had the government give back over 10,000 documents that are going to allow us to look further into some of these stories that have been hidden purposely.
“Hopefully, this allows us to not just heal but educate people more on why it’s been such a hard time for the Indigenous communities since colonisation started here in Victoria in 1834 .”
Wurundjeri elder, uncle Perry Wandin was surprised at the turnout.
Uncle Perry Wandin said he did not know how many people were going to attend.
“I thought it would be just a group of about a dozen people, and that turned into about 5000 people. And then, by the end of the event, there were 10,000 people involved,” he said.
“They’re totally involved in Aboriginal politics and the right for Aboriginal people to be told the truth and what the government needs to be said to tell the truth.”
Uncle Perry Wandin welcomed Mr Lovett through a smoking ceremony and a welcome speech at the Parliament House steps.
“The reason why we do that is because he’s come on Country, as I said to him the day before, he’s walked from many places, and when anybody walks, they do carry spirits with them, and any bad spirits they’ve bought with them, the smoke will move them on to a better place,” he said.
