Bunurong elder Mark Brown was booed during his Welcome to Country at Melbourne's Shrine of Remembrance.
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00:00I'm here to welcome everybody to my father's country. Beautiful Bunurang country.
00:07But before we do that, we pay our acknowledgements and we pay our respects.
00:16We pay our respects to all of my ancestors.
00:20We pay our respects to all of my elders and we pay respects to all of my community members.
00:26Past, present and emerging.
00:34And we acknowledge the continuous and unbroken connection to country for the Bunurang people.
00:40We also pay our acknowledgements and respects to all traditional custodians of Australia,
00:46Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander who work, rest, live or play on Bunurang country.
00:54We acknowledge their continuous and unbroken connection to country for all of their people.
01:01And we thank each and every single one of them for being here with us.
01:06But today, on the sacred lands of the Bunurang people,
01:11we all gather in the spirit of respect and unity.
01:15And this welcome, it's an opportunity.
01:21It's an opportunity for us to honour and respect the deep cultural heritage of the Bunurang people
01:28of the Kulin Nations, whose elders and community members have generously looked after these lands
01:36for countless generations. My people have a deep spiritual connection to these lands,
01:45encompassing all of our rivers, our mountains, our coastal areas,
01:53and all of our beautiful bushlands that surround us today.
01:56Our traditional territory spans from the Werribee River in the west,
02:02and moves to Digger's Rest in the north.
02:05We move over to the Dandenong Ranges, the Yarra Valleys, and down to Wilson's Prom.
02:14We encompass the top end of Tasmania, which we share with the beautiful Palawa people.
02:18French, Philip, King and Flinders Islands are also ours.
02:26These are the traditional lands and territories of the Bunurang people that I welcome everybody to today.
02:33And as I said, we have a deep spiritual connection to our lands.
02:40And we have a strong cultural identity tied to our ancestral plains.
02:44All of our stories, our traditions, our language, our culture, and Bunurang's law are interwoven
02:57with the very fabrics of the soils that surround us, reflecting my people's profound knowledge,
03:04knowledge, wisdoms, and ongoing custodianships to all of our ancient lands.
03:14And as we gather here today, we recognise that this welcome is a part of our shared journey.
03:24Shared journey of reconciliation.
03:25Shared journey of understanding.
03:30And by acknowledging and encompassing the deep ritual heritage of all of our people,
03:38we strive to foster mutual respect, cultural exchange, and a celebration of diversities.
03:47And so on behalf of all those gathered here today, I extend my heartfelt welcome to my people's country.
03:59May our time together be filled with reverence,
04:01learning, and a renewed commitment to honouring and cherishing the Bunurang people,
04:12and all the traditional custodians of this country.
04:15And for all those who do want to be here, you are welcome.
04:30We come with purpose.
04:32Welcome to beautiful Bunurang country.
04:45Thanks to profound
04:50Ryan
05:00Turns
05:02What is theuled
05:03And so we're gonna disassemble you now.
05:04Welcome.
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05:07Many
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05:11While
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