Attending the National Reconciliation Week event at the Parkes Radio Telescope were at the back (L-R) Tricia Trim, Dr John Reynolds, George Heald, Peter Swanton, Ella Jablonskis, Myra Singh, Trevor Leaman, Tina Leaman and Stacy Mader. In front are (L-R) Karlie Noon, Rafael Florez and Tangyao Zhang.
The team at the CSIRO Parkes Radio Telescope celebrated National Reconciliation Week last Wednesday with a special program for the day.
Reconciliation is a journey for all Australians, and the team at The Dish took a small step last week to activate this journey of understanding.
The day started with a Welcome to Country Aunty Ronda and was followed by a talk on Indigenous Astronomy by Peter Swanton.
Peter is an astrophysics graduate from the Australian National University (ANU) and Gamilaraay/Yuwaalaraay man from Mackay, Queensland. He has been working closely with Dr Brad Tucker and Prof Brian Schmidt from the ANU looking into Dark Sky Parks for their cultural and scientific significance. Peter and fellow ANU astrophysics student Karlie Noon are actively involved in Aboriginal astronomy outreach at schools in Canberra and surrounding regions.
The second talk of the day titled Connection to Country (Parkes and surrounds) was by David Towney from Peak Hill. David was instrumental in the telescope receiving Indigenous names in 2020.
National Reconciliation Week is celebrated across Australia each year between 27th May and 3rd June. It is a time for all Austalians to learn about our shared histories, cultures and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.
The dates commemorate two significant milestones in the reconciliation journey — the anniversaries of the successful 1967 referendum and the High Court Mabo decision.
By Maggi Barnard
Peter Swanton from the Australian National University delivered a talk on Indigenous Astronomy.