A Night by the Fire

Overview

A Night by the Fire returns this April to raise awareness of the national Recognise campaign and the fight for recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the Australian Constitution. Set in the State Libary's Kuril Dhagun, the Indigenous Knowledge Centre tucked around the back near the elephant statue, this series of talks will take place over four evenings (7, 21 April and 5, 19 May).

At each fortnightly event, the speaker will voice what they consider to be key issues surrounding the 1967 referendum and the Recognise campaign. What benefits will come from change to the Constitution? Will constitutional recognition negate a treaty or Indigenous sovereignty? Who is championing the cause, for or against?

You don't have to be entirely 'in the loop' about what the Recognise campaign entails, but for some background reading, the campaign website provides a pretty good overview. These talks are educational ones, with the sole objective of bringing together unique voices at this critical time for the movement. The first three sessions are free, with the final forum on May 19 priced at $10. Each will kick of at 6.30pm, finishing up around 7.30pm.

The schedule:

Tue 7 Apr – Anti-recognise with Bogaine 'Boe' Spearim
Tue 21 Apr – Supporter of all with Alethea Beetson
Tue 5 May – Pro-recognition with Mark Yettica-Paulson
Tue 19 May – Forum