{"id":3582,"date":"2025-05-01T12:34:14","date_gmt":"2025-05-01T02:34:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.melbasupport.com.au\/?p=3582"},"modified":"2026-06-14T17:50:04","modified_gmt":"2026-06-14T07:50:04","slug":"yarning-with-tim-welcome-to-country","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.melbasupport.com.au\/latest-news\/yarning-with-tim-welcome-to-country\/","title":{"rendered":"Yarning with Tim: Welcome To Country"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"3582\" class=\"elementor elementor-3582\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-537a276c e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"537a276c\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-613183a0 e-con-full home-banner e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"613183a0\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6495c42a elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget-laptop__width-initial elementor-widget-tablet_extra__width-initial elementor-widget-tablet__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"6495c42a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Yarning with Tim: Welcome To Country<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-47631397 elementor-widget elementor-widget-post-info\" data-id=\"47631397\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"post-info.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"elementor-inline-items elementor-icon-list-items elementor-post-info\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item elementor-repeater-item-f88c87c elementor-inline-item\" itemprop=\"datePublished\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text elementor-post-info__item elementor-post-info__item--type-date\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<time> 1 May 2025<\/time>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-51e25093 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"51e25093\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-717aa918 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"717aa918\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7d95ad9e elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"7d95ad9e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.melbasupport.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/MELBA-NEWS-LANDSCAPE-2025-05-01T123304.918.png\" title=\"\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-36caf509 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"36caf509\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6f5f2e45 link elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6f5f2e45\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Welcome to Country ceremonies have been in the news this past week after an Indigenous elder was booed during Melbourne\u2019s Anzac Day Dawn Service and opposition leader Peter Dutton said they were \u201coverdone\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">We asked\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">Aboriginal Connections, Liaison &amp; Awareness Officer<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0Tim White, who is a proud Wiradjuri man, to explain the significance of Welcome to Country and why it\u2019s different to\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Acknowledgement of Country<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Here\u2019s what he had to say:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201c<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">To me, a Welcome to Country is spiritual, a sign of respect to its peoples and Mother Land, the land that provides for us, the land we all live and grow old on.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cA Welcome to Country is conducted by a traditional custodian of the land, during special events. Welcoming people to Country has been part of Aboriginal culture for many thousands of years. It gives safe passage to all people who pass through and live on the land. It is inclusive of all people, welcoming them to join us on this beautiful land and country.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cAcknowledgement of Country is not the same as a Welcome to Country. An Acknowledgement of Country can be conducted by anyone and is a sign of respect to the traditional custodians of the land. When Acknowledgement to Country is conducted it is a sign of respect and understanding to reconciliation within Australia \u2013 respecting the past and present, moving into the future together as one nation.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cThe importance of both go deeper than we know. It is connecting people together and to the lands that we all know as home.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">As an organisation committed to reconciliation and walking with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, we invite you to \u201cyarn with Tim\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Got a question for Tim? Send it to\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"mailto:aboriginalconnections@melbasupport.com.au\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">aboriginalconnections@melbasupport.com.au<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0and we\u2019ll publish the answer.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">We\u2019ve also asked Tim to share his thoughts and perspective as events happen to foster education and meaningful communication<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-72004a78 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"72004a78\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-463fe9e4 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"463fe9e4\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3ee294e5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3ee294e5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Share<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-603d93cf elementor-share-buttons--view-icon elementor-share-buttons--skin-flat elementor-share-buttons--shape-circle elementor-share-buttons--color-custom elementor-grid-0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-share-buttons\" data-id=\"603d93cf\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"share-buttons.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-grid\" role=\"list\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-grid-item\" role=\"listitem\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-share-btn elementor-share-btn_facebook\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-label=\"Share on facebook\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span 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