Western civilisation country

abc news watch

The blogger behind ABC News Watch enjoys a good Welcome to Country as much the next person but wonders if some cultural mutuality might be in order. The suggestion is that, after Indigenous elders and ancestors have been thanked, a further manifestation of gratitude would be very nice and inclusive:

I acknowledge and pay respect to the actions, sacrifice, wisdom, traditions and curiosity of our ancestors. Their collective efforts over centuries helped evolve our western civilisation, giving birth to the liberal society that makes this meeting possible.
Mind you, were that to become a regular feature of public gatherings, various public institutions’ protocols would need to be further expanded. In the case of the University of Wollongong that would likely see its Guidelines and Protocols for Welcome to Country, Acknowledgement of People and Country and Aboriginal Cultural Performances expanded to somewhere near the length of War and Peace.
The current and voluminous guide can be read in full via the link below. And remember, any number of university bureaucrats laboured long and hard on the document, so show some respect to the authors and their ancestors too.

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