Let us start by acknowledging the Tasmanian Aboriginal people as the traditional owners of lutruwita (Tasmania). In particular, I would like to acknowledge the people of the Pydairerme clan of the Oyster Bay nation, it is on their land we will walk. They cared for and protected this Country for thousands of years. They knew this land, they lived on it and they died here. It is important to honour them.
It was the White invasion that resulted in the Tasmanian Aboriginal people being dispossessed of their land, culture, language and way of life. The ‘Black Line’ was one of the most shameful campaigns of Tasmania’s Frontier Wars. In 1830 around 800 Aborigines from all parts of the settled colony where driven here and removed to enable the development of the colony in the way that suited the colonisers.
I pay my respects to elders past and present and to the Tasmanian Aboriginal community that continues to care for this Country.
Learn more about the Aboriginal People of lutruwita http://www.tacinc.com.au