Dear resident

Living in Australia, you are living alongside the oldest continuous living culture on Earth: the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The Darug and Eora people were the original inhabitants of the Bankstown and Canterbury area for many thousands of years before European settlement.

As a Council, we are committed to working in a way that is respectful to First Nations culture. Our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) helps us to do that.

For example, we have established Lyora Matta, the CBCity First Nations Cultural Hub and Resource Centre. The Centre supports our indigenous residents but is also a place of learning and sharing for the entire community. We have engaged and worked with First Nations businesses. We have even named the swim school levels at our Leisure & Aquatic Centres with Darug names for marine life.

At this time of year, there are several opportunities to acknowledge First Nations cultures.

Sorry Day on 26 May is a day to remember the harm done to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, especially when children were taken from their families. It’s also a day to think about and learn how we can support a fair and inclusive future.

Reconciliation Week runs from 23 May-3 June and promotes reconciliation between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples. Our vision for reconciliation is for Canterbury-Bankstown to be a City that recognises, supports, celebrates and nurtures First Nations peoples and cultures.

We invite you to be a part of it.

Find out more at Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders | City of Canterbury Bankstown

Warm regards

Mayor Bilal El-Hayek