Thousands gathered on the steps of Victoria Parliament erupted in applause as Yoorrook Justice Commissioner Travis Lovett reached the end of his 508-kilometre, 25-day walk.
“The silence ends here,” Lovett declared to the crowd, “the time of not knowing, of choosing not to know, is over.”
He emphasised that “truth-telling is not a ritual, it’s not symbolic. It’s a reckoning, it’s a commitment to change. Truth-telling is a treaty in motion. The work of truth-telling, of treaty, of transformation that belongs to us all now.”
Lovett embarked on the Walk for Truth on Gunditjmara land in Portland, traditional country where Victoria’s first European settlement began. His journey is one of the final stages of the four-year truth-telling process led by the Yoorrook Justice Commission, which aims to document the impacts of colonization on Victoria’s First Peoples.
The findings from the commission will shape a statewide treaty currently under negotiation between First Nations communities and the Victorian government the first of its kind in Australia.
The walk started with around 500 participants and grew to approximately 3,000 by the final day in Melbourne. Throughout the journey, conversations focused on past injustices and present realities, with many opening their hearts and sharing personal stories.
Among those was Lionel Dukasis, a survivor of the Stolen Generations, who met cousins for the first time during the walk a moment he described as a powerful reminder of the importance of family and connection.
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