FREDDIE DOWLING: ‘Marmungun’ means ‘community’ – the mob, you know?
It’s brought all of the community here today.
A lot of people who have come here today, they’ve learnt something.
They’ve found a new beginning, and it’s good.
CHRIS THORNE: When I was taught to carve, my uncle, who taught me, he said,
‘What you need to do is think about the ancestors; how they did it.’
They didn’t have any modern tools, so when I carve, that’s what I think.
I want that whole idea of when you see those rocks it’s as if you’re just walking through
the bush, and you come out and you see this rock with this carving in it,
and have that image in your head that this could be thousands of years old.
JUSTINE AMBROSIO: So, today, the Wangaratta Citizen of the Year will be honoured.
Their handprint has been carved into the rock and there’ll be an unveiling of that handprint
during today’s ceremony.
DARREN MOFFITT: The handprint will be unveiled by lifting the gum leaves out of the way,
and then the gum leaves will be placed on top of the fire and create a smoke plume.
When that smoke is created from those leaves, it sends a message, and that’s the concept
behind our ceremony today.
So, that smoke will send a message to everyone that’s here.
People that aren’t here, people that have passed away, that there’s a handprint of
a very special community person on this rock now, forever.
What we want to do is develop relationships between the Aboriginal community here in Wangaratta
and the broader Wangaratta community, and this is just one way we can do that.
I mean, Susan Bromilow’s family will always have a connection to us, as an Aboriginal
community, and to this rock, because of the process that we’re going to go through today.
SHANE BROMILOW: I suppose Mum was forever involved in the local community.
As we can see here today from the amount of people, she was involved with so many different
people in life and loved the local community.
I don’t think there was a committee that Mum wasn’t involved with in the north east
of Victoria.
Mum was one of those people that definitely got along with everyone, but more so always
wanted to help and always had her input into pretty much every matter possible in the north
east, I would say.
JUSTINE AMBROSIO: Today’s event will bring the community together to learn more about
Aboriginal culture, but also acknowledge someone who’s done some great community work, and
displays the qualities of an elder.
CHRIS THORNE: We knew that she was terminally ill, so we had a little mock ceremony last
year while she was still with us, and we had the Mayor here all dressed up with his stuff,
and we had some photos with her with her hand on the rock.
I traced her hand out so that I had a copy of her hand.
TARYN BROMILOW: We were so lucky that we were able to come down with Chris in December when
Mum was still able to walk around.
She knew she was getting the award and how special this was going to be.
To choose her place on the rock, and we were all there with her.
We were so lucky and so glad that we did it at that time.
CHRIS THORNE: A proud, proud day, because as I said to the family, nobody can take it
from them, ever.
It’s their mother’s hand that they’re unveiling today.
SHANE BROMILOW: She just absolutely loved these types of events.
TARYN BROMILOW: She would have loved this.
SHANE BROMILOW: She would have loved it.
It was a really blessed ceremony, I reckon.
TARYN BROMILOW: And both Darren and Chris have been so good through the whole thing,
explaining things and teaching us a little bit about Aboriginal heritage.
Yeah, it was really good.
CHRIS THORNE: Yesterday was Sorry Day and the start of Reconciliation Week.
What better way to have a traditional Aboriginal theme opened up to allow anyone in the community
to be a part of it?
Now, if that’s not going to break down barriers and break down racism, what will?