WITH less than a month until January 26 rolls around, conversation is already swirling about what the date will mean in 2022 and into the future.

Gunditjmara man Chris Saunders is just one of many making their voices heard on the important topic, organising two events on the day to commemorate January 26 as a national day of mourning.

Organising smoking ceremonies on the day for a number of years for the Indigenous community, Mr Saunders began opening up the events to the broader community in recent years in an effort to push the conversation along.

“The community support we saw on January 26, 2021, was outstanding,” he said.

“We had two ceremonies and the community showed up in numbers I never expected.

“It’s really grown from something small in our Indigenous community to now something that includes everyone living on country.”

In 2022, Mr Saunders will host the event in two parts again, with the first on Gunditj Kilcarer Country (Beach Road, Allestree) – the Convincing Ground – from 9am for a smoking ceremony while the second will start at noon at the Ploughed Field (Bentinck Street, Portland, opposite the hospital).

On why the day should be recognised as a day of mourning instead of a celebration, Mr Saunders said we only needed to look at the history of the day.

“On one side, we want to be proud of who we are as Australians, but on the other hand, we have to look at the history of January 26,” Mr Saunders said.

“It was Uncle William Cooper who originally declared January 26 as a day of mourning – prior to Australia Day actually being held on that day.

“It's about acknowledging the leaps and bounds elders past and present have gone through and for us to continue that fight and conversation.”

Although the Indigenous community will always have to look back on the horrors of their ancestors, Mr Saunders said history did not have to be repeated.

Why Portland?

“One of the big things a lot of people ask me is why Portland? Why do we do it here? Why is it so important in his space in this community?” he said.

“And my main point is we have so much pride in acknowledging Portland as the birthplace of Victoria but we don't acknowledge the fact it was born from the backs and the stories of murder and dispossession.

“All the negative horror stories my family have had to grow up with are so untold.

“That’s not to put the blame on anyone, it’s just how the times were back then but as the world becomes more educated and involved in conversations like this, we can look back on these things and be more progressive and see them as something we can change instead of something we hide.”

Mr Saunders encouraged the community to use the day as tool to do their own research on the topic and help further the cause from a non-Indigenous point of view.

“There’s so much emotion that goes into these ceremonies and you have to put yourself in that position to be scrutinised,” he said.

“It’s a tough balance because you want it to be safe space for families to come and listen to the stories – and it’s not all about telling the horror – it’s about encouraging people to open their minds to our history and do their own research about what it means for them.

“It’s not just up to Indigenous people to put the effort in and do the research – everyone should be doing their part to understand and keep things moving in the right direction.

“I’ve always said people can go off and have their barbecues later in the day to do whatever celebrations they feel like they want or need to do,” he said.

“But at the same time, come to these events – the reason they're in the morning is because we start our mornings right.

“You come down and sit around, have a smoking ceremony and hear people talk about their experiences and talk about the history of Portland and what that means to us as Indigenous peoples, then the rest of the day is up to you.

“Having known and gone through those conversations with Gunditjmara people – what do you want to do with the rest of your day?

“Not everyone that comes along is going to feel the same and they might go away and get drunk with their mates, but at least they have a better understanding of what it means for us.”

In the future, Mr Saunders said he hoped to see January 26 changed for the better in Portland and across the country.

“It doesn’t have to be what it is,” he said.

“I’d love to see the day changed for the better across Australia, but changing Portland is a start.

“We made the right decision when it came to November 19 – or Portland Day – we can do it again.

“Indigenous people shouldn’t be the only ones carrying the burden of making a change.

“We’re asking Council to do the bare minimum for the day like lowering their flags to half-mast and not holding citizenship ceremonies or other ‘Australia Day’ events on the day – it doesn’t need to be the way it is just because it has been in the past.

“Council can even look at being part of hosting the smoking ceremonies and similar events on the day instead – we want to work together for a better future.” Glenelg Shire mayor Anita Rank declined to comment on the future of January 26 in the shire.