- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article mentions deceased persons.
The injustices, stories and history of Aboriginal people in the region will be heard by a wider audience through a commission.
Members of the Yoorrook Justice Commission visited Framlingham and Warrnambool to speak with First Nations elders, providing feedback and guidance on the Yoorrook process and sharing their priorities for the historic work moving forward.
The commission aims to "look into both past and ongoing injustices experienced by Traditional Owners and First Peoples in Victoria in all areas of life since colonisation" from 1788 to now.
It is Australia's first and only formal truth and justice process.
Commissioner and deputy chair and Wurundjeri and Ngurai Illum Wurrung woman Sue-Anne Hunter told The Standard the most common thing elders spoke about was racism and the massacres around the region.
"They also told of the strength of the Eumeralla Wars - violent conflicts between the Gunditjmara people and settlers in the 1830s and 1840s," Ms Hunter said.
Aspects the commission looked at were colonial violence and dispossession, First People's representation and resistance, family kinship and communities, economic practices, justice and education systems, body and spirit, cultural respect and recognition, land and water, data sovereignty and public memory failures and forgetting.
"One story can cover a lot of the terms of reference," Ms Hunter said.
She said the stories covered the colonisation period "right through to today with drugs, alcohol, intergenerational trauma and mental health".
"How they play a big part in the community today but also the revival of history and language of dance and song and the understanding of land," she said.
"I think they're the stories that can counteract the horrific ones.
"It also teaches their families of where they come from."
The commission launched on March 24, with the elders' yarning circles visiting regional hubs across Victoria over five weeks leading up to the start of official hearings on April 26.
During the visit to the south-west the commissioners visited the Kirrae Health Service in Purnim which services Framlingham's Indigenous community.
During this session one of the commissioners found out one of the people they spoke to was a relative, Ms Hunter said.
"They had this beautiful meeting, I was brought to tears," she said.
"Those are the sorts of things we're going to uncover."
Commissioners last month attended the elders' yarning circle, and did on-country site tours with elders in Warrnambool including the Warrnambool Aboriginal Soldiers Memorial, Warrnambool Community Garden and Moyjil (Point Ritchie).
They also met with Peek Whurrong Elder Uncle Rob Lowe Senior who spoke about the region's Aboriginal servicemen.
Ms Hunter said there was also emphasis on the wider community learning the history of the region's Aboriginal people.
"The best way to educate them is to keep telling our story," Ms Hunter said.
"For me the commission will create the new narrative for all of Victoria, particularly place-based is what I'm hearing because everyone is so different.
"Here, there are so many sacred sites, some protected, some not, and it's that understanding of why they are sacred."
Ms Hunter said due to the sensitivities surrounding the commissions there would be no cross-examination.
"It's also about finding out what people are doing and what the future looks like for them," she said.
"Particularly with elders, the morbidity rates are high."
She said for some, it may be the first time they were sharing their stories.
"Some of them don't know what they want out of the commission because they've been unheard for so long," Ms Hunter said.
They've been unheard for so long.
- Sue-Anne Hunter
Ms Hunter comes from a social work and therapy background, but those who speak at the commission will also have social, legal and emotional support.
The evidence gathered will be used to create recommendations.
"We're telling the story about people and it's about place and time," Ms Hunter said.
"It's really important when things happened.
"So what time did that happen because you know that as you progress things change, policies change, and people's mindsets also change over time."
Ms Hunter said the Yoorrook Justice Commission was different to Victoria's Treaty but would be used to advise the Treaty.
"It is independent of government and the First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria," she said.
Ms Hunter was joined by Commissioner Dr Wayne Atkinson and Dhamangalnya Senior Elder of Yoorrook Commissioner Distinguished Professor Maggie Walter.
Lismore's Associate Professor Eleanor Anne Bourke AM is also on the commission as its chair.
Further sessions were held in Heywood, Portland and Hamilton which included cultural site visits.
For announcements on future sessions follow the Yoorrook Justice Commission Facebook page. More details about the support offered through Yoorrook can be found in the support section of the Yoorrook website.
The yarning circles will form part of a dialogue that will culminate in the commission's interim report, due to be released in June.
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Lillian Altman
Lillian is an experienced journalist who joined Warrnambool Standard in late 2021. She has a particular interest in writing stories on the arts and culture, health, education, breaking news, police stories, as well as human interest and profiles.
Lillian is an experienced journalist who joined Warrnambool Standard in late 2021. She has a particular interest in writing stories on the arts and culture, health, education, breaking news, police stories, as well as human interest and profiles.
