Descendants Day Hearing: 4 September

Shedding light on Victoria’s colonial history

Content warning: Please note the following contains historic language and events that may cause distress to First Peoples.

Non-Indigenous witnesses will give evidence to Victoria’s truth-telling process about State’s colonial past at a Descendants Day hearing at Yoorrook Justice Commission. 

Witnesses will include:

• Elizabeth Balderstone, the current owner of a property in Gippsland on which the ‘Warrigal Creek’ massacre occurred in 1843.
• Peter Sharp, a great grandson of former Prime Minister Alfred Deakin, who has researched Deakin’s involvement in the passage of the Aborigines Protection Act 1886, more commonly known as the ‘Half Caste’ Act.
• Dr Katrina Kell, a researcher, author and fourth-generation matrilineal descendant of Captain James Liddell, who brought Edward Henty to Gunditjmara Country in November 1834 on board ‘the Thistle’, leading to the first permanent European settlement in what would become the State of Victoria.

The hearing is a day for all Victorians to listen and learn the truth about Victoria’s colonial history, and the unbroken line of injustice running from 1834 to this day.

Evidence presented will help build a shared understanding of Victoria’s colonial history and its impact on First Peoples to this day and show that truth-telling isn’t a process only for First Peoples to take part in. All Victorians have a role to play.

By understanding the truth of Victoria’s colonial history and how this connects to the present, we can help create transformational change and a better future for everyone.

We encourage all Victorians to come forward to share evidence and information as part of the State’s truth-telling process by making a submission.

For mob, we warn there may be some distressing historic content given as part of the evidence.

Make history – make a submission