Celebrate Community Healing in NAIDOC week
“We are very excited to announce that Butchulla Elder Barbara Trevaskis’ famous ‘Guardians of the Land’ mural will be blessed and opened in NAIDOC week,” advised Elizabeth Lowrie co-founder of the Maryborough Mural project. “The Mural’s theme, which encourages all cultures of our Nation to protect and guard our land, is very fitting for this year’s NAIDOC week theme – Heal Country, Heal our Nation – which encourages all of us to protect our lands, our waters, our sacred sites and our cultural heritage from exploitation, desecration and destruction.”
“The Mural will be Blessed by the Reverend Brian Heenan, Bishop Emeritus and opened by Mayor George Seymour at 4pm on Friday the 9th July 2021,” said Deborah Hannam, the other co-founder. “We encourage the Fraser Coast Community to join us in celebration of this community healing event in St Mary’s Catholic Church grounds in Adelaide Street, Maryborough.”
“In this celebration, “Healing Country” calls for stronger recognition, protection and maintenance of Butchulla culture and its heritage, thereby encouraging resolution of the many outstanding injustices which have impacted our Indigenous community” explained Aunty Karen of the Butchulla Community, the Mural Artist.
“We invite all of the Fraser Coast community to the blessing and opening with open hearts. We hope everyone present will embrace our cultural knowledge, and understanding of country, as part of this Nation’s heritage. We hope all will respect our values, just as we respect those of all Australians,” continued Aunty Barbara Trevaskis, Aboriginal Elder and Mural Designer. “Just as I have depicted visually in this mural’s image.”
“The mural reflects the “ancient footprint” as seen by Barbara,” explained Gary Pettiford, the Chairman of the St Mary’s Parish’s Finance Committee. “Barbara believes that Jesus walked on the land first as a rainbow serpent. Then came the Aboriginal Nation for thousands of years. The smaller white footprint is European colonization and the little footprint in rainbow colored dots represents all the different cultures who have recently walked upon this land. All have a collective responsibility to care for the land on which we walk.
The mural is a joint project between the Maryborough Mural Project and St Mary’s Parish. St Mary’s Parish is funding the project through a Fraser Coast Regional Council Grant and the Project has arranged in-kind support for the other items e.g. paint, scaffolding, and plaque printing etc.
Be sure to attend this blessing and opening to see this mural. Also, take a walk through the city to view the other 38 Murals.
Cover photo by Robert Waye.
39th Mural – “Guardians of the Land” Designed by Butchulla Elder Barbara Trevaskis and painted by Aunty Karen Hall.
