{"id":1149,"date":"2008-07-01T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2008-07-01T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/index.php\/news\/walking-the-path-of-reconciliation\/"},"modified":"2017-10-14T04:54:15","modified_gmt":"2017-10-14T04:54:15","slug":"walking-the-path-of-reconciliation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/index.php\/walking-the-path-of-reconciliation\/","title":{"rendered":"Walking the path of reconciliation"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Walking
From left: Priscilla Orchid-Wightman, Jeffrey Samuels, Judith Light, Uncle Max Eulo and other guests in the grounds of the Baha’i House of Worship following the National Reconciliation Week celebration<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Reconciliation is a journey on which we should all travel as friends, according to Priscilla Orchid-Wightman, a Yulaaray-Gameroi woman from Lismore in northern New South Wales.<\/p>\n

Despite suffering the trauma of being removed permanently from her parents by the authorities at the age of two, Ms Orchid-Wightman said that she has forgiven those responsible, \u201cbecause you have to forgive to grow\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I never forget the struggle we have gone through,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Ms Orchid-Wightman never saw her parents again following her removal. By the time she traced her family as an adult, they had already passed away.<\/p>\n

Ms Orchid-Wightman said that after the apology of the Federal Parliament to the Stolen Generations in February, she felt a weight had been lifted from her.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me it meant a beginning, a first step,\u201d she said of the apology, which she witnessed from the public gallery of Parliament House.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt the presence of my parents and the generations before, and I went away feeling a lot lighter,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Service for reconciliation<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ms Orchid-Wightman was speaking at a reception prior to the annual service for reconciliation at Sydney\u2019s Baha\u2019i House of Worship on 2 June, 2008.<\/p>\n

Her son Richard, 13, read the initial prayer in the service. The service program included readings from the Scriptures of the world\u2019s major religions.<\/p>\n

Ms Orchid-Wightman\u2019s brother, Jeffrey Samuels, artist and co-founder of Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Co-operative in Leichhardt, also accompanied her and spoke about the traumatic history of Aboriginal Australians.<\/p>\n

Personal relationships<\/strong><\/p>\n

The reception also included a presentation by Judith Light, who has been coordinator of Lismore People for Reconciliation for the past 10 years.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe reconciliation struggle comes down to our one-on-one personal relationships,\u201d Ms Light said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about standing with our brothers and sisters and validating the truth,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cTruth has to come out, and there can be no healing until that happens.\u201d<\/p>\n

Quoting from the Baha\u2019i Writings, Ms Light said she believes all people are \u201cleaves of one tree, flowers in one garden, and drops in one ocean.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRacism raises its head the moment we talk about \u2018they\u2019 and create an other,\u201d said Ms Light, who is a Baha\u2019i.<\/p>\n

\u201cReconciliation is not something that will happen through an institutional arrangement. The core of reconciliation is friendship and love,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Following the service, Budjedi elder Uncle Max Eulo performed a traditional smoke ceremony as a blessing for the Temple grounds.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Reconciliation is a journey on which we should all travel as friends, according to Priscilla Orchid-Wightman, a Yulaaray-Gameroi woman from Lismore in northern New South Wales.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1149","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-media-releases","category-uncategorised"],"yoast_head":"\nWalking the path of reconciliation - Australian Baha'i Community<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bahai.org.au\/index.php\/walking-the-path-of-reconciliation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Walking the path of reconciliation - 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