The Connecting Communities – Day of Healing was held on the 23rd March 2024.It was a day of connection and awareness, using expressive forms of walking, words, music, art and food as a means of standing in solidarity.

The event was conceived by Eliza Cannon and Jordan Nye, feeling overwhelmed with the state of the world. There was a deep sense of negativity within the community post-referendum and the horrors of war and genocide flooding their newsfeed in Palestine, was unfathomable.

Word of the new government in Aotearoa attempting to repeal the Treaty of Waitangi was the last straw. So, they reached out to other community leaders in the Eurobodalla to put together a day of healing and positivity. They received the interest of 10 others and they all met every Sunday to develop the Connecting Communities event.

The group received support from South East Arts to pay for the musicians and artists and a contribution from the Yes Vote group. All other contributions to put the event together was out of their own time and money.

The group led a unity walk across Moruya Bridge with around 150 people participating, the walk ended at Russ Martin Park in Moruya where they had Muladha Gamara perform a Welcome Ceremony and dance.

Guest speakers, Bunja Smith, Maree O’Rouke, Lou Glover, Aroub Lahham and Deb Long spoke of First Nations Australians, Palestinian and Maori struggles and the similarities in these plights imposed on them by colonial systems.

Muladha Gamara then performed a ceremony of song and dance, celebrating the oldest, continuing culture on Earth. The crowd then participated in a traditional Palestinian dance around the rotunda and there was a feeling emanating from that circle that can only be described as pure joy.

One of the organising group was Hannah ‘Val Moogz’, who shared their amazing music alongside Ron ‘Callo’ Callaghan and Sam Miers.

While the music was playing the group organised activities for the community to get involved with.

There was a live mural painted by Jamara Nye from Bugiya Bardju, an education station to gain knowledge and insight into how to help, an ‘Our Shared Histories’ corner shedding light on the similarities between the colonial impacts on First Nations Australians and Palestinians.

There was a kids corner, oysters and smoked mussels sourced locally by traditional custodians and a bake sale that raised $1400 for UNRWA, an organisation providing aid to Palestinian people struggling with the loss of family, homes and land since 1948.

The day was a beautiful success and had roughly over 200 people attended throughout the day.

Just goes to show how powerful grassroots movements can be in the face of local and global turmoil.

Contributed by Eliza Cannon & Jordan Nye