6th Annual Ningulabul Reconciliation Lunch
4 June 2010
Last week Kangan Institute's Indigenous Education Centre, in partnership with Hume City Council and the Department of Sustainability and Environment, hosted the 6th Annual Ningulabul Reconciliation Lunch.
The event featured a keynote speech by Gary Jungwirth, former Mayor of Hume City Council, who shared his experience of reconciliation and the impact it has had on him personally and professionally.
Having attended all but one of the past six reconciliation lunches, Gary said the event is an important step forward on the road to reconciliation. He talked about the need to look at reconciliation at the local level.
"I'm someone who is more interested in looking to the future rather than the past, but you can't look to the future without acknowledging your successes and failures," he said.
"I've never believed that you have to wait for action from the state government or the federal government to achieve things. You can do it locally, we can be empowered and we can set the example and the leadership for the rest of the country."
"Where there are barriers in terms of reconciliation - don't worry about it. Only concentrate on what we can do and what we can influence and, boy, there's still a lot of things we can do.
"The journey has been started, we know what we need to do, it's just that it hasn't been done yet."
Each year the Ningulabul event provides an opportunity to reflect on the meaning of reconciliation by sharing lunch and opening up dialogue with community members.
Along with a meal prepared and served by Kangan Institute's hospitality students, guests to this year's event were also treated to a performance by an Indigenous dance troupe.
Guests included former manager of the IEC Terry Kildea, acting CEO for Kangan Institute Peter Harrison, and representatives from the Broadmeadows Magistrates' Court, Department of Sustainability and Environment, and the Hume City Council."
