Victorian Uni students establish an indigenous solidarity network – inaugural Camp at Barmah Lakes

A conglomerate of indigenous rights groups from various universities – Monash, Melbourne, La Trobe and Ballarat are listed on the website http://www.alphalink.com.au/~rez/ccisn – held a camp on the weekend of April 16-17 to develop aims and objectives for the network and plan for the future. They have met regularly since the start of semester to get Camp Barmah, on Yorta Yorta country, off the ground, asking people not to hold back if they felt they didn’t have a strong understanding of issues as the camp would be an ‘amazing’ opportunity to learn ‘on country’ from highly regarded Elders, activists and academics – and to hang out with ‘some damn cool kids’. There will be a series of workshops and forums. Speakers will be:

-Dr Wayne Atkinson
(Yorta Yorta Elder: Lecturer – Politics & Indigenous Studies, Melbourne
University)
-Richard Frankland
(Gunditjmara man: internationally renowned musician, playwright, film maker)
-Tjanara Goreng Goreng
(Director, Centre for Indigenous Education, Melbourne University)
-Russell Smith & The Brolga Boys
(Author of Australian Indigenous Guide to Philanthropy: Great Aussie
Band)
-Bryan Andy
(Yorta Yorta man: author and actor)
-Liz Reed
(Senior Lecturer, Centre for Indigenous Studies, Monash University)
-Brian Bainbridge
(Barmah-Millewa Collective)
-Geoff Berry
(Reconciliation Events – Come Together Concerts)
-Matt Bell
(Uniting Church: Indigenous Hospitality House)
-Nick Roberts
(Victorian National Parks Association; Goulburn Valley Environment Group)
-Clare Land
(Fanning the Fires of reconciliation Project; Australians for Native
Title & Reconciliation)