Submissions

Viki Sinclair is a direct descendant of one of the original settlers of Gippsland, Colin McLaren. In this submission, she tells her personal story of her family’s part in white settlement enacting genocide on the original Aboriginal peoples in Gippsland. She hopes her submission brings about real and lasting change to Gippsland’s documented and accepted history and invites other descendants of settlers to look hard into the limited versions of their ancestry.

This submission is from Mary Hassall, a descendant of James Hassall, after whom the Hassall creek on Gunditj Country is named. It discusses her research and exploration of the Hassalls’ history as settlers of Gunditjmara Land and the Hassalls’ relationships with First Nations Peoples.

Some of the Thomson family descendants make this submission in hope that, it assists to establish the truth of impact on First Nations by early settlers, it will also highlight First Nations resilience and offer a story of allyship that might inspire the people of these lands to shape and be shaped together by a more equitable and shared future.

Gayle Carr makes this submission on behalf of herself, Kathryn Williamson and the late Diana Halmarick. It outlines the range of historic reference materials available to learn more about the colonisation of Victoria and its impacts on First Peoples, based on one family’s search for their own ancestors’ role in the 1842 Mustons Creek massacre. It advocates that the teaching of frontier history becomes a mandatory part of the Victorian School Curriculum.

Gerard Finnigan is a non-Aboriginal person who grew up on Gunditjmara Country and has been mentored by and worked with First Peoples throughout his life. His Irish ancestors arrived in Gunditjmara Country in the 1850s and in his submission he pays respect to the area’s Traditional Owners, explores the impacts of colonisation on First Peoples, and the need for greater education around the truth of this history.

Dr. Nadia Rhook, a historian and poet, discusses her paternal ancestor, Matthew Rhook (1816-1903), and his history on Gunditjmara Country. She reflects on her family’s involvement in settler colonialism, acknowledging their complicity in the violent processes of dispossession. Dr. Rhook and her family express a shared pain of the history of invasion and a desire for justice and land back, stating, “To say that I am sorry for my ancestors’ role in colonising Country is never enough.”

This submission comprises three volumes titled The Whole Truth And The Problem With Truth Telling.

Genine Hook emphasises the need for comprehensive First Nations history education in Victoria, calls for more funding for First Nations educators, and suggests promoting First Peoples’ history through film, art, and sporting events.

Ngurai Illum Wurrung man Uncle Vincent Peters acknowledges all his Aboriginal Ancestry as without them all he wouldn’t be here today.

His story is about the dispossession that occurred to every Aboriginal family, not only in Victoria but throughout Australia. In this submission, he speaks about the three dispossessions experienced by Aboriginal families, including his own: dispossession from the lands, the mission stations, and later, cultural dispossession. His submission includes the aid of photographs & slides sourced from museums, libraries, books and newspapers, and family photos, alongside 40kg of referenced evidence.