Waite campus flag raising

Today Wirltu Yarlu celebrated a flag raising event at the University of Adelaide – Waite Campus. This significant event marked the first time that the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags were flown together with the Australian flag at Waite Campus.

The event commenced with the Welcome to Country performed by Uncle Rod O’Brien who also spoke about the importance of this event and the meaning of the flags. Professor Shane Hearn then spoke about the symbolic nature of the flags in both welcoming Aboriginal peoples to the University and increasing the interest of non-Indigenous students to learn more about our country’s shared history.

Finally, the flag raising proceedings occurred with Associate Professor Christopher Ford, Dean of Waite, and Professor Shane Hearn, Dean of Indigenous Research and Education Strategy, who raised the Australian flag; Uncle Rod O’Brien and Aunty Rosemary Wanganeen, Cultural Advisors at The University of Adelaide, who raised the Aboriginal Flag, and Hamish Press and Teegan Bryant, Wirltu Yarlu staff, who raised the Torres Strait Islander flag.

Formalities were followed by a morning tea to which all attendees were welcomed.

In the words of Professor Shane Hearn, “flying side by side, these flags are an invitation for reconciliation”.