This year’s Yabun - a celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait culture and survival held every year on Invasion Day - was launched on the 25th of January at La Perouse with a sunset ceremony.
A sacred fire was created by traditional methods on Yarra Bay and rowed out to Timbery Reserve in a handmade canoe. There, on the point, dances and speeches ensued.
Along with the sacred fire, a wreath commemorating the devastating impact caused by colonisation was then set out to sea on the Tribal Warrior, to be taken through Sydney Heads and used to light a fire the following day in Victoria Park, the current site of Yabun.
From the organisers:
“Yabun has its origins in La Perouse in the 1990s before it relocated to Waverly Park, then to Redfern Park and now Victoria Park in Camperdown. The Sunset Ceremony is a chance for us to come together to honour and reflect on the sacrifices and struggle that has come before us. Performances by Chifley Public School and the Waradah Dance Group.'“
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