We respectfully acknowledge that Geelong One Fire is located on Wadawurrung Country, and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging. We also pay our respects to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living on Wadawurrung Country.

“Our hope is for a united Australia that respects this land of ours; values the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage; provides justice and equity for all.”  (Australian Declaration Towards Reconciliation 2000)

 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are warned that this website contains voices and images of deceased persons.

Geelong One Fire Reconciliation Group was founded in the mid-1990s as a DONT (Defenders of Native Title, later ANTaR) group. Its original members included both First Nations people and allies.

We believe that effective change requires allies walking, talking and acting together with First Nations peoples. The name One Fire, suggested by the late Uncle Alan Browning, expressed the intention of coming together around one fire. Since these early days of the group's history, members have developed their understanding of the concept of reconciliation.

As described by Reconciliation Victoria, we understand the term ‘reconciliation’ to be about ‘addressing and acknowledging our true history and righting the wrongs of the past and present’. We support First Nations peoples’ calls for truth-telling and Treaty as part of this process. As Reconciliation Victoria states: Reconciliation 'is not one act but a journey that requires a commitment from non-Indigenous Australians to take ownership and responsibility for their own learning and role in the process of reconciliation.’

We acknowledge that the word ‘reconciliation’ can be at times problematic. We support the concepts of makarrata – ‘coming together after a struggle’ – and the principles of respect and recognition of First Nations peoples, including local and national actions such as the Treaty for Victoria process and the Uluru Statement from the Heart.

Our objective as a group is to support First Nations peoples’ self-determination on this continent by:

• Maintaining and strengthening our relationships with First Nations Elders, leaders and community members living in Djilang and surrounding Wadawurrung Country, to guide One Fire’s actions
• Supporting First Nations-led activities that promote local understanding of and respect for First Nations peoples’ knowledges, histories and cultures
• Advocating for the integration of appropriate representation of First Nations peoples’ histories (including the locally created timeline at www.djillong.net.au/djillong-timeline.html) within the various educational bodies of the region
• Improving our ability to be effective allies by undertaking our own learning about First Nations history and culture; reflecting on our own unconscious biases and diverse peoples’ histories; and educating ourselves and our communities to better recognise and challenge systemic and structural racism and bias
• Creating more inclusive spaces in the broader community for listening, truth-telling and proactive engagement in social and structural change.