“Go Malthu ngarraku Luku-dhinthu wangayina. Marrtji ngali rrambangina.” (You are welcome to follow my footsteps home. Come with me on this journey.)
Multi-award winning singer-songwriter Shellie Morris and 2017 Queensland Music Award winner Emily Wurramura come together for the first time to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Referendum with Footsteps Home, a moving concert at Brisbane Powerhouse on Saturday 27 May.
Footsteps Home will feature Shellie and Emily performing a selection of original work and stories of culture, connection to country and reconciliation.
Shellie wanted to commemorate the Referendum as it holds a personal connection to her story.
“I was adopted out when I was three months old. I was a half-caste baby and because of my Yanyuwa and Wardaman ancestry I was born as flora and fauna.
“I was too young to understand that just a few years after I was born, Australians voted overwhelmingly to include me as part of the population.”
The 1967 referendum saw the highest “yes” vote ever recorded in a Federal referendum. The Constitution was changed through the 90.77% of people voting to change sections 51 and 127, which discriminated against Aboriginal people.
“It wasn’t until years later I understood the significance of this, because my adopted parents were incredibly loving and made me feel I belonged and had a place in this country of ours,” she said.
“I am still overwhelmed by the racist attitudes of others, especially towards First Nations people around the world, which is why I feel celebrating the Referendum is important.”
Shellie Morris and Emily Wurramara’s concert, Footsteps Home is presented by EM Media & Events and Brisbane Powerhouse on Saturday 27 May from 7.30pm.
Tickets available online at Brisbane Powerhouse.
