Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up!

Although the drizzle put off the flag raising ceremony, a morning tea was enjoyed by attendees in the shire hall.

Gilgandra Youth Service’s youth support worker Nunka-Wa-Ru Pearce, welcomed everyone, and asked Uncle Rod Towney up to make a speech.

Uncle Rod spoke about this year’s theme ‘get up, stand up, show up’ , and how extremely important it is to continue to show up and make a difference.

“People often sit back until something’s done, or a few people want to do stuff, but no one will help them,” said Uncle Rod.

Setting a great example himself, Uncle Rod has recently been part of the Uluru Statement from the Heart, and is extremely proud to be representing his community for something so important.

“We need to talk up. The Uluru Statement from the Heart is so important to us, and I’ve been talking to people recently about how important it is to just be

included in the constitution. To me, that’s not a big ask. We have some way to go yet.” said Uncle Rod.

To ‘get up, stand up, and show up,’ Uncle Rod is encouraging people to recognise history, and learn from it. He said that while Australia has come a long way, there is “still a long way to go”.

“Back in the day these types of celebrations would never have happened.”

“This is wonderful, but there’s still a lot more that needs to be done. The constitution is one of them.”

Alongside Uncle Rod’s busy schedule, next term he will be taking up the part time position as Wiradjuri language teacher at Narromine High School.

“There’s a lot to be proud of, and learning Wiradjuri is something that has gained a lot more interest recently. I’ll see how I go after a term,” chuckled Uncle Rod.