From the Editor February 2021

Ready or not—we’re back, baby! Sure we’re not quite operating at full capacity yet (more days off than on have been absolutely superb through January!) but as of Monday 1st February, we’ll be back on deck and raring to go from 9am—4:30pm, Monday to Friday.
 
Some thoughts I’ve had in the lead up to January 26th:
I made a very conscious decision this year to not celebrate the 26th January, a date I have ashamedly thoroughly enjoyed celebrating in the past. Last year I, like many, took action to better educate myself on Australian history, racism, privilege and the ongoing negative impacts colonisation has had on our country’s First Nations people. I’ve been lucky to spend many wonderful hours with many wonderful members of our local Noongar community over the years, but particularly this last year, and I just can’t think of anything worse than “celebrating” the anniversary of a week that was the beginning of so much pain and destruction caused to their ancestors and their culture.
 
I love Australia and am so appreciative of all the privileges and freedoms I enjoy on a daily basis—and I absolutely do regularly celebrate those—but I have to acknowledge that many of my privileges and freedoms have been made possible because I live on unceded land. My personal aim, and an aim which I would like to think I can encourage others (maybe you) to work towards; is to continue to learn more about our history and how it influences our present and our future, to challenge and unlearn the bias I have learnt from our society, to use my position of privilege to give others a hand up and ultimately be a part of a generation that sees an Australia that accepts a more truthful version of its history—a country that takes meaningful steps toward reconciliation (not one that thinks changing one word in an anthem is enough).
 
I believe I can work toward all of this while still being proud of my own heritage, of my own ancestors who left Ireland and settled in Australia and of the generations of Hayes’ before me who have worked hard in the agricultural industry and who were respected members of their communities. I’m grateful to friends and family who have been willing to have conversations on these topics in recent weeks and to you for reading my thoughts. I hope I’ve struck some chords.
 
To February!
 
Jill Hayes
Editor | Banksia Bulletin
Coordinator | Quairading CRC