NAIDOC Day Celebration, Parkville Youth Justice Centre.

A cold and rainy day in Werundjeri Country. Aunty Joy Murphy who gave us a beautiful Welcome To Country remarked that the rain is a cleansing, adding quickly, ‘some of us must’ve needed a lot of cleansing.’

And that’s exactly what we got treated to in the Parkville Gym. Didn’t feel like we were in jail. I hoped with all my heart that at least some of this feeling seeped into the young ‘clients’ of Parkville, whom we were all there to show support for. The Elders spoke, and it was the same message, find out your strengths, know them, and walk your path with this knowledge. Uncle Jim Berg spoke, and praised up the young niece of cultural warrior Wally Cooper, Madeline – for her fine contribution to the event. He told us how he’d been caught up in the rain, and his clothes got wet – so that when he turned up, Event organizer Shane Evans gave him his own jacket. Then Unc praised up the jacket.

Archie (with guitarist Craig Pilkington) shared a couple of songs, ‘prayers’ he called them, Still Time, from his forthcoming album, and then Uncle Jack Charles joined him for I won’t Cry. The banter between Jack and Arch had to be heard to be believed, and had us all laughing til tears (Paul Kelly’s ears would have been burning).

Then we got Briggs joining Archie on stage for Dead Heart Heartbeat, getting the packed gym ringing with the audience clapping, and his sharp edged poetry. AB Original joined Briggs, and they ploughed through a couple of tracks. Adam reached out to the young people incarcerated with these fast-paced poems. ‘Anything worth having ain’t comin easy.’ He finished with a poem about what people call people where he grew up in Shep. ‘Bad apple, trouble-maker – I call them friend, brother.’ Beautiful stuff. Not lost on the ‘clients’.

We finished with kangaroo tarts, macadamia baklava, washed down with a cup of tea, and the chance to mingle with the incarcerated kids. What an uplifting group of young people! Honest. Direct. Hopeful. And committed to that hope.