Brisbane Aboriginal Embassy celebrates first anniversary

By Callum Clayton-Dixon Nganyaywana

After twelve months of making its mark on Musgrave Park and joining the national struggle for First Nations’ rights, the Brisbane Aboriginal Sovereign Embassy (BASE) celebrated its first anniversary on March 24.

Around one hundred supporters gathered in the park for a corroboree to mark this milestone in the Embassy’s turbulent history.

The day featured ceremony, re-lighting of the sacred fire, planting of native trees to honour past community heroes, traditional song and dance as well as a number of speeches.

27-year-old Gamilaraay man Paul Spearim Jr. believes such gatherings “are important to our people” and “an opportunity for us to come

together and talk about the issues that are going on in our community”.

Praising the Embassy’s contribution to the Brisbane First Nations community, Mr Spearim said he was “waiting for something like this to come along for a very, very long time”.

“I’ve been marching through the streets my whole life, so when this [Embassy] came up it was a very big blessing, to have our own place and space to learn about and share issues that affect us within our own communities,” said Mr Spearim, a Brisbane local. “It comes back to Aboriginal people looking after Aboriginal people. That’s what the embassy has provided for.”

A yarning circle for young First Nations people was also held during which issues such as identity and cultural revival were discussed.

According to Embassy spokesperson Wayne ‘Coco’ Wharton, the anniversary celebrations were “a testament to the many volunteers who’ve held true to the fire”.

“This is a time when we need strong people to come together and maintain our presence here [in Musgrave Park],” said Mr Wharton, a Kooma man and longtime sovereign-rights campaigner. “Every time we light up what they say is ‘just a fire’ and our practice our ceremony, we win.”

Mr Wharton considers the Embassy to be a prime example of self-determination for First Nations people.

“We’re keeping that fire alive, and we’re keeping that connection to our law. These are things that our old people weren’t allowed to do. Our old people were put on concentration camps, locked up, beaten. If we...

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Veteran activist Wayne ‘Coco‘ Wharton (left) and Jaggera Elder Arjin Warrugara (right) prepare for ceremony in Musgrave Park to mark the first anniversay of the Brisbane Aboriginal Sovereign Embassy. IMAGE: Callum Clayton-Dixon

April 3, 2013 NEWSPAGE 1

...don’t exercise our religion, our rights and our cultural practices, then we let our old people down and everything that they fought for. To see our people, our young men and women come out and get involved is great.”

The Embassy made national headlines twice last year when

hundreds of police invaded the site in an attempt to evict the activists and extinguish the sacred fire.

Although the Embassy no longer has a physical presence in the park (tents etc.) as it did prior to the second eviction on December 12 last year, the sacred fire is relit every Wednesday

night at the weekly meetings.Coals from the Canberra

Embassy’s sacred fire were brought back to Musgrave Park from the lawns of Old Parliament House following the 1972 Embassy’s 40th anniversary last January.

In its first year, BASE held a number of marches, sit-ins, corroborees and conferences. Delegations were also sent to the Nyoongar Embassy in Perth, national meetings in Canberra, the 12th anniversary of the Wollongong (NSW) Embassy and up to Yarrabah (north-QLD) for the World Indigneous Elders Gathering.

“We’ve got a big year ahead,” said Mr Wharton. “This year is the battle for Musgrave Park, and we have to win it. There’s no coming back second best.”

A national corroboree will take place at the Canberra Tent Embassy on April 27.

WHARTON: 2013 is the battle for Musgrave Park

Paul Spearim Jr. and Paul Spearim Sr. performing traditional Gamilaraay songs in Musgrave Park for the Embassy’s first anniversary. IMAGE: Brendon Qu

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