Acknowledgement of Country

As well as the traditional “Lords Prayer” Darwin City Council now has a new tradition a recital of the “Acknowledgement of Country". The new opening protocol was introduced at the first Council meeting for 2010 and will remain as a fixture henceforth for all future Council meeting.

Members of the Larrakia people in the gallery witness the Acknowledgement

Council consulted with members of the Larrakia people (traditional owners who have lived in the Darwin area for many generations).

Lord Mayor, Graeme Sawyer cited the example of caring for country that the Larrakia have set for the wider community. “We need to learn from the first custodians of the land and follow their example."

"I've leant that showing respect for the environment and caring for our country is something the Larrakia people are passionate about. Council's Acknowledgement of Country reflects our shared belief in this."

Lord Mayor Sawyer said that the late Alderman Greg Jarvis had played an integral role in developing the statement.

"Greg was passionate about indigenous issues and he utilised his role at Council to champion the cause of the indigenous community. The Acknowledgement of Country statement as part of Council's opening protocols is one of his many legacies.

The Acknowledgement of Country wording is as follows:

“We the members of Darwin City Council acknowledge that we are meeting on Larrakia Country.

We pay our respects to all Larrakia people both past and present.

We are committed to working together with the Larrakia to care for this land and sea for our shared future”

The Lord Mayor and Aldermen had an informal dinner with Larrakia people during the break in the Council Meeting.