an acknowledge to country and the wisdom of all our elders
We Love This Country
First, we acknowledge the beautiful land we live on. We love this country. And we acknowledge the care of the original custodians who nurtured life here through tens of millennia before the trauma of colonisation and war. We accept Australia's national apology for all the ways we participated in destruction. We offer our respect to the elders past, present and emerging. We also acknowledge all other indigenous peoples and systems of knowledge that live on this country. Each one of us is here because people nurtured life well enough down all our ancestral lineages. Culture grows, changes and adapts. Culture is alive in all of us.
This land has fostered knowledge for thousands of years. Country was the first classroom, a teacher to all. Learning about earth systems, cycles, patterns, ethics, philosophy, and lore from wise and culturally strong elders was a regular part of life. These teaching stories were travelled, sung, danced, and spoken in language between generations. Wisdom stories from all indigenous cultures remind us how to live with each other, the earth, waters and the cosmos – now and in the future.
We love country. Country loves us. Remember this.