b'The journey to reconciliationThis year we continued to work on creating a safe space and a new way forward through our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) work. On January 26, we stood alongside AboriginalWe ramped up our achievements thanks toand Torres Strait Islander Australians. We face-to-face meetings taking place againrecognise and celebrate the strength, resilience as we emerged from COVID-19 lockdownsand resistance of our First Nations People andand restrictions. Our new RAP networkthe path to self-determination. We recognise started in February 2022, bringing togetherand respect their sacred connection to the land all the smaller RAPS across Uniting to sharefor over sixty millennia and we pay our respectideas and success from their local areas.to Elders past, present and emerging, on whose From this, two more local RAPs are beingland we live and work every day.created, which provides these areas with theAs the community services organisation of opportunity to engage with their local Firstthe Uniting Church in Victoria and Tasmania Nations people to bring Reconciliation to life.we affirm that the Uniting Church in Australia has long called for a change in the date of January 26 our National Day and has urged the Federal Government to promote community discussion In 2022 we released a statement to mark ourdirected towards finding a date for Australia Day stance on January 26. This date is not a day ofthat has greater power to unite than 26 January.celebration for many Aboriginal and Torres StraitAs a nation, we must find a date for a National Islander people. It is a reminder of the lastingDay which unites all Australians. A day we can impacts of colonisation and dispossession andcelebrate this country as home to the oldest for many, a day of grief and mourning. continuing culture on earth.Uniting stands in solidarity with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in recognising theSorry Dayinjustices, dispossession and trauma that beganThe Family Preservation and Reunification (FPR) 234 years ago on 26 January 1788. We recogniseYouth Team visited the Casey Aboriginal Gathering the continued impacts of colonisation throughPlace in Doveton on Sorry Day 2022 for a morning dispossession of land and disconnection fromtea. The team spent time yarning with others, family, culture, and Country. These includelearning more about Aboriginal and Torres Strait removal of children and over-representation Islander history and the supports available at of Aboriginal people in our prisons. the Gathering Place and in the wider community. We deeply regret the legacy of past policies andThe feedback was overwhelming positive as practices that continue to detrimentally impactthe team were able to connect with others and the identity, dignity, and spirit of Aboriginal anddeeply reflect on what Sorry Day and National Torres Strait Islander Australians. AustraliansReconciliation Week means to them.of today are not directly responsible for what happened in the past, but it is a part of our shared history, and as Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians we are responsible Find out morefor what happens in the future.38 Uniting Vic.Tas Annual Report 2021-2022'