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Speech by H.E. Ian Kemish AM, Ambassador to Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, on the occasion of Australia Day 2009,
Berlin, 26 January 2009
Guten Abend, meine Damen und Herren. Herzlich willkommen in der Australischen Botschaft.
In addition to our German guests and friends, I welcome the representatives of many other countries as well as my fellow Australians to Australia Day 2009.
As many of you know, we try to give our Australia Day celebration a thematic focus that says something important about Australia.
For very good reasons we have selected this year the culture of the first Australians.
Aboriginal Australians enrich our society, and our cultural life, in so many ways.
Australians are able to recognise more fully today the extent of that contribution.
German interest in Australian indigenous culture is an important part of the attraction my country holds here as a tourist destination. It is also evident in the very strong interest we encounter here in Aboriginal art.
The art of the Australian Aborigines has a unique beauty. It reflects a rich diversity of styles and techniques. But there is more to it than that.
Its focus on the dreamtime unites the past and the present, and emphasises the connection between the aboriginal people and the land.
It tells us that humans and the environment cannot be thought of separately. They are one and the same.
We are very fortunate this evening to have here the beautifully curated exhibition 'Aboriginal Art – Window to Culture'. It is part of the extraordinary collection of the Freiburg Gallery ArtKelch, and is presented for the very first time in Berlin tonight. The works show the amazing colour and diversity of contemporary Aboriginal art, particularly that of the Central and Western Desert.
Please take your time to look at these beautiful paintings, which are displayed both in the Wintergarten and the bar area. Robyn and Matthias Kelch, the owners of the exhibition, are here this evening and I’m sure will be happy to answer your questions about it. For my part I want to thank them both very warmly for their support.
Meine Damen und Herren, im letzten Jahr durften wir Zeuge eines Meilensteins in der Beziehung zu den australischen Aborigines sein.
Die australische Regierung und das australische Parlament haben sich im Februar 2008 bei den Aborigines entschuldigt - für ein dunkles Kapitel der Vergangenheit.
Die Entschuldigung galt einem Programm, in dem Kinder aus gemischten Ehen den Eltern weggenommen wurden. Diese Politik bedrohte das Überleben der Kultur der Ureinwohner.
Die Entschuldigung bekamm eine immense Zustimmung in Australien.
Es war ein emotionaler Moment. Ganz Australien versammelte sich vor dem Fernseher. Die Menschen jubilierten, und lagen sich in den Armen.
Jetzt stehen wir hier, fast ein Jahr später. Die Entschuldigung war ein wichtiger Schritt, aber es liegen noch viele Aufgaben vor uns.
Jetzt heisst es, zusammen zu arbeiten, um allen Australiern – alten und neuen Australiern – die gleiche Qualität des Lebens zu garantieren.
Ladies and gentlemen, an important element in Aboriginal belief is the connection with the ancestors.
It is of vital importance that the human remains of those who have gone before – as you would say in German, the sterbliche Überreste – are united with the Land.
There are still today in German museums and private collections the bones and skulls of Aboriginal people. These remains were taken from Australia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by anthropologists and ethnologists.
Germans were not the only ones to participate in this practice. British and Scandanavian scientists and collectors were also involved.
One such collection is held by the Charité Medical Museum here in Berlin.
As you might appreciate given the spiritual importance of this issue, the indigenous people of Australia want their ancestors back.
We have been discussing this matter constructively with German organisations and authorities.
We were very happy when, last year the Charité announced a firm decision to return the Aboriginal skulls that it holds, providing us with a clear public statement to this effect.
Professor Einhäupl, CEO of Charité, is present here this evening. I want to thank him publicly, before you all, for this extremely important gesture, and the understanding it reflects.
Finally ladies and gentlemen, Australia Day is traditionally a time to recognise achievement within our society. I’m happy to say that the title of Australian of the Year has been awarded this year to an outstanding indigenous leader, Professor Mick Dodson, who has been recognised for his tireless contribution to the struggle for social justice for Aboriginal people.
And I’m also delighted to tell you that one of our colleagues at the embassy, Linda Mortensen, the Regional Immigration Director for Europe, has received an Australia Day medallion this year for her leadership This reflects well on her and her team of Immigration staff. Linda is a first generation Australian. She was born and grew up in rural Denmark. Along with the tribute we pay today to the first Australians, we are reminded once again of the great diversity in Australian society.
Ladies and gentlemen, das war es. Ich bedanke mich bei Sandfire für Wein, Fosters für Bier und Trend Foods für Känguru. Viel Spaß bei Wein, Weib und Gesang. Wir haben alles da.