Tag Archives: First Peoples

To commemorate the anniversary of the day in 1994 that the Uniting Church in Australia formalised its commitment to walk together in solidarity with the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress (UAICC), Rev Richard Cassady and Erin Mawhinney took the time to remember our shared history and our heritage of faith. We spoke of the Rev Charles Harris story (who ...

Uniting Church congregations are being asked to hold worship services in January reflecting on Australia’s First Peoples. Past President of the Uniting Church in Australia and Assembly Consultant for Covenanting Stuart McMillan explains why. The observance of a Day of Mourning was endorsed by the 15th Assembly in 2018 at the request of members of the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander ...

Rev Richard Cassady reflects on the importance of storytelling within Indigenous culture and his own faith journey working as a prison chaplain and an educator. Most recently, Richard led a Walk on Country with members of the Synod Executive Leadership Team, facilitated by Australians Together. Communicating through story and narrative is part and parcel of my people’s DNA. Tell me ...

I’ve spent the last couple of weeks in far North Queensland at the opening of the re-built Gully Peters Uniting Church on Mornington Island, and then “Walking on Country” with Rev Richard Cassady, some Synod leaders, and the team from “Australians Together”. Mornington Island is the home of Lardil peoples. It is also now home to the Kaiadilt peoples from ...

The 2018 Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress (UAICC) National Conference saw participants from across Australia gather to reflect on the theme of healing and celebrate the Congress’ vision for the future. Journey reports. Aboriginal and Islander members in the Uniting Church boosted resources for youth work, mission and evangelism at their triennial national conference held in Geelong over six ...

I’ve just finished reading Nyunggai Warren Mundine’s autobiography In Black and White. It’s a very interesting and challenging read, telling the story of a family in the era of the “Protection” Acts for Aboriginal people, and Mundine’s journey into leadership in the ALP, and for his people. Mundine is a compelling advocate for the First Peoples of this land, and ...

The Queensland State General Election will be held on 25 November so before you head to polling booths have you had a chance to consider the key issues at stake and who will best represent your values in parliament? David Weddell and Sue Hutchinson offer these suggestions and questions to get you thinking about your vote. Approach your local candidates ...

At time of writing, I’m sitting on the veranda of the Mornington Island manse with the sound of carpentry tools in the background. The carpentry work is the complete renovation of the Mornington Island church. The renovations are costing approximately $700 000. Most of this comes from funds the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress in Queensland—the Calvary Presbytery—has accumulated over ...

In 2017 Shalom Christian College is celebrating its 25th year and one way the college is celebrating this is through its annual NAIDOC Day which will be held on 8 September.  Tanya Salam has been a part of all the NAIDOC Day celebrations at the college throughout the years. Tanya is a secondary school teacher and has been contributing to ...

The alarming incarceration rate of First Peoples highlights the long and painful path towards reconciliation and justice for many Australians. Journey explores the issue and speaks to the prison chaplains on the frontline. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull may have recently declared the incarceration rates of young Indigenous people a “top priority” in light of alarming revelations of prisoner abuse in ...