Council and Aboriginal Action Committee Community HART award finalists

Published on 16 May 2017

Mildura Rural City Council and the Aboriginal Action Committee (AAC) have been named finalists in this year’s Community Helping Achieve Reconciliation Together (HART) Awards.

The Community HART Awards recognise local governments and community organisations that advance reconciliation in Victoria. They’re presented at an awards ceremony during Reconciliation Week each year, with this year’s ceremony to be held on Friday, 2 June at the Koorie Heritage Trust in Federation Square, Melbourne.

Council and the AAC were named finalists in the Local Government category for their collaborative work creating the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander War Memorial project, which was unveiled in Henderson Park last year.

The memorial is one of very few across Australia to recognise the unique experience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander service men and women, and pay respect to their sacrifice.

Councillor for Community Wellbeing and Services Ali Cupper commended Council staff and AAC members for their work on the project.

“While it’s fantastic to see our staff and AAC members’ efforts being recognised in this way at the Community HART Awards, it’s even more pleasing to see the memorial in its place in Henderson Park, and the impact it’s had on both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander residents, and the broader community,” Cr Cupper said.

“The community was also heavily consulted as part of this project, ensuring the design and messaging on the memorial was appropriate, making this very much a community success story.”

The idea to design and create the memorial was in response the story of Aboriginal Digger, Private Daniel Hodgekiss, who until 2012 laid in an unmarked grave in a Mildura cemetery.

Council and ACC members made the decision to pursue a project that would recognise the experience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander service men and women, based on the understanding that recognition and sharing of stories were a vital part of community healing. 

Media enquiries 
Ben Piscioneri
p) (03) 5018 8689 
e) ben.piscioneri@mildura.vic.gov.au