MOREE Aboriginal Elder Darryl French knows what it’s like to survive.
Mr French joined hundreds of community members and visitors at Jellicoe Park on Sunday to commemorate Survival Day, following a memorial walk from Moree Court House to remember the Waterloo Creek massacre, which tragically took place 187 years ago on January 26.
“Our culture is strong, our people are strong and we must pass that on to our young people. Please pick up the baton and take it to the next level, because it’s so important to us,” Mr French said.
“This is a day we can be proud of ourselves for being such good survivors for such a long period of time.
“True recognition hasn’t really happened, and we as a group of people need to work on it and do it the best way we can,” he said.
Mr French, 73, said the key to survival is education.
He returned to school as an older student and achieved university qualifications to become a senior university lecturer.
Mr French worked in the education system for 35 years. He is now retired, but there’s still plenty of work to do – and plenty to learn.
“Education has been a survival tool, and the benefit of that is that my kids are now in education as teachers,” Mr French said.
“I’ll sell education every day of the week, if I can. It’s a wonderful survival tool. We can’t stand on the outside and criticise. We need to get into the system and change things from the inside.
“That’s my motive, and I believe I can make the changes,” he said.
Mr French’s early education was at an all-Aboriginal school in Moree.
“We experienced a lot of negativity, but you don’t lie down for negativity. You get up, challenge it, and fight it. I’ve done that all my life,” Mr French said.
“Little kids – black and white kids – don’t see colour or see a difference; all they see is another kid. Anything different is fostered as adults, unfortunately.
“We as citizens, whether you’re black or white, don’t accept that behaviour, and that’s the bottom line,” he said.
“I’m a positive person and that’s all I want to be.”
Sunday’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Survival day event acknowledged the rich, cultural heritage of Australia’s First Nations peoples, and was attended by Moree Plains Shire mayor Susannah Pearse and councillors Dominique Hodgkinson and Fred McGrady.
“The 26th of January in Moree is a day of mixed emotions for many people, and for our Aboriginal community, it’s a solemn day,” Cr Pearse said.
“This day also commemorates the Waterloo Creek massacre that happened on the edge of our shire and led to the deaths of many, many aboriginal people.
“For many Aboriginal people in Moree, today is about survival and resilience, and remembering the past,” she said.
“It was wonderful to have two other councillors here with me today – councillors Hodgkinson and McGrady – and I’m really proud that our council is different to councils past.
“I hope that means we’ll be in a better position to serve our Aboriginal community into the future.
“Today, I’m here to listen and to learn, and to support our community,” Cr Pearse said.
