Shortly after nine, on the morning of April 25, a woman unobtrusively and unpretentiously stepped from the crowd and laid out the aboriginal flag at the foot of the flag pole. A flag pole that was located by the cenotaph and which was flying the Australian flag at half mast. Without a word, the woman melted back into the crowd. A few minutes later, she was brought forward by an official and was asked to remove the flag. This she meekly did, before quietly laying it on the cenotaph beside the wreaths. Once again she was asked to move the flag. Once again she gathered it up. This time she took it with her as she resumed her position in the crowd. She was crying. She was hurt. I, observing the scene from my place in the band, felt her pain. I was hurt too.
Shock froze me to my seat. I couldn't believe the injustice shown towards that woman. My heart went out in empathy towards the woman. I wanted to act. I wanted to speak. I was frozen. Anger welled up in me towards the official who had shown such disrespect towards this woman and the people that she represented. By her actions she was seeking to honour the Aboriginals who fought and died in the wars. She had respect, and she was showing that respect. How she was treated was wrong, very wrong. I wish that I had been able to get up and show my support to that woman. I didn't speak then, but I am speaking now.
As the crowd dispersed, the words and music of "We are One" rang out, adding insult to injury. Instead of just playing "We are One", we need to BE one. We need to be inclusive and respectful. We need to listen and act. We can't change the past, but we can, and must, change the present and the future.
I believe it is about time that we create a new flag for the country of Australia, incorporating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the design process so that we honour them and thus take another step towards making Australia one.
