This document contains reflections, prayers, and quotes related to reconciliation between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians. It acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land and calls on spirit ancestors. It references a flower as a national emblem of the Stolen Generations and looks forward to healing. Several passages encourage stillness, patience, and listening. It includes a prayer for reconciliation and healing as well as an Australian blessing.
2. I would like to acknowledge the traditional
custodians of the land, the Ngunawal People
and call on the Spirit Ancestors to walk with us
today, as we share and learn together.
3. This flower is the national emblem of the Stolen
Generations. It is found widely across Australia and it is
a survivor .
For the mothers and children of
the Stolen Generation.
4. As we light this candle we remember
the Stolen Generation. We look
forward to true reconciliation and
healing for the future generations.
5. Be Still
Be st ill, wait , do not rush t hings.
Let lif e happen by it self .
Work wit h it , t rust in t he spirit ualit y and wisdom t hat
is around you.
Wit h conf idence, we wait f or God t oo.
His t ime is ' right t ime' .
Wait f or Him t o make His Word clear.
' Right t ime' , gent le t ime, don' t rush.
Somet imes wait ing is painf ul.
Somet imes it ' s a st ruggle.
But ,
Circle is always t urning.
' Right t ime' will come.
Be pat ient .
Be st ill.
List en.
42. Dadirri
Dadirri is about t aking t ime t o list en and
t o be renewed. The I ndigenous peoples
have experienced dadirri f or over
40,000 years.
We can learn f rom t hese t radit ions and
experience t hem t oday .
Let us share some of our ref lect ions f rom
our dadirri experiences.
49. Let us pray
• Leader: We honour the memory of the people
of this land from long ago.
All: We hear their cry and pray for healing.
Leader: We are mindful of the dispossession
of these people from their land.
All: We hear their cry and pray for healing.
Leader: We leave here today ready to work
towards Reconciliation with the
Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people.
All: We hear their cry and pray for healing.
50. Please extend your hand in a blessing to others
as I read our blessing prayer.
In the name of the Father….
Creator Spirit, God of the Dreaming, God of this
ancient land, you who see the good in all your
people, we thank you for the gift of our many
different cultures. We come together with our
hearts ready and open to your Spirit of peace
and healing. We ask you to fill us with the love
and understanding that can help us to accept
the wrongs that have been done to our
brothers and sisters. Help us now to do all
that we can to be one in your love and peace.
We make this prayer in the name of Jesus who
51. Aust ralian Blessing
May you always st and t all as a t ree
Be as st rong as t he rock Uluru
As gent le and st ill as t he morning mist
Hold t he warmt h of t he campf ire in your
heart
And may t he Creat or Spirit
Always walk wit h you.
E.Pike 97
Editor's Notes
I found dadirri very peaceful and welcoming. Sitting in the sun, listening to chirping birds, the sound of leaves rustling in the swaing leaves, it was just so lovely. The wind was also not too strong, so when it flows past your ears it’s like a little voice taking to you. The grass was wet, but when you touched it, it felt soft and your hand felt wet. It dried on your hand quite quickly because of the beautiful, warm, shiny sun. Sitting in the lovely warm sun, all quiet around me, just made me feel free and made me want to do dadirri again and again.
In my Daddiri time I escape to a happier place. People, places everywhere. We live amongst a busy world, so much to do, so much to learn. So I close my eyes, take a breath. Escape into the happiness. See the sun the moon the rain, A place where you’re never afraid. Shalini
Billie Miles It was quiet. All you could hear was the whispering in the wind. As I lay down I could feel the warmth of the sun. I looked up at the clear blue sky. From the corner of my eye I could see the greens and yellows of the trees leaves as the sun shone through the branches.
Where I was sitting my mind was clear. Nothing could get in my way but the beauty of nature. I was still and could hear everything. The buzzing bees the chirping birds, everything was clear. I felt as if all the humans in the world had frozen and only nature could be heard. I felt like everything else had gone quiet and beautiful nature had taken over the sounds of the world at one stage the vrooming cars couldn’t be heard. That was a lovely stage of my life that only lasted a minute. It was so lovely theres no other way to describe it. Everything was blocked out and I could focus on the one thing. I felt relaxed, every part of my body could stop working so hard.
When I did my dadirri I felt every thing blurred but the thing I focused on. Dadirri makes your mind go blank. I like Dadirri because it is relaxing and it makes your mind go blank. I like Daddiri. Lachlan
We would like to share with you now a video interview sharing the experiences of our indigenous students at Sacred Heart.