Wider recognition

Posted Jun  2, 2015 in News

The annual Wilks Oration provides people across South Australia to listen to outstanding Australians speak on key issues facing Australia and the church. Held by the Effective Living Centre, a Uniting Church SA mission centre and an outreach of Christ Church, Wayville, this event provides time for those in the church to engage with contemporary topics – both as citizens and as people of faith.

In 2015, the Effective Living Centre has invited Tanya Hosch, the Joint Campaign Director for the Recognise campaign, to give the Wilks Oration on Friday 12 June. Recognise is a movement that raises community awareness and support for a constitutional change to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Australian Constitution. Tanya will speak into this topic, framing her talk around the theme “It’s time to recognise – First Australians in the Constitution.”

To deliver her address on Friday 12 June, Tanya will draw on her vast professional knowledge and her personal experiences as a Torres Strait Islander woman living in Adelaide. Tanya is actively involved in advocacy and consulting with the aim of increasing philanthropic investment into Indigenous investment. She sits on numerous boards and committees, and is the Independent Chair of the new company Price Waterhouse Coopers Indigenous Consulting. In 2013, Tanya was named in the South Australian Women’s Honour Roll, and for the past two consecutive years she has been recognised in the list of “100 Women of Influence” awards run by Westpac and the AustralianFinancial Review to recognise women who are achievers in Australian business.

In 2009, the Uniting Church made the decision to adopt a revised preamble to the Uniting Church in Australia Constitution – a step that saw Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples formally recognised. In making this decision, the church demonstrated an affirming relationship, which is founded on truth rather than denial of the historical past. This has yet to be reflected in wider Australian society. With an upcoming referendum due to occur on the topic of constitutional recognition in the near future, this Wilks Oration provides people in the Uniting Church SA with an opportunity to engage, learn and contribute.

The 2015 Wilks Oration will be held at the Effective Living Centre (26 King William Rd, Wayville) on Friday 12 June at 7pm for a 7.45pm start. Bookings are essential. General admission is $25; Friends of ELC and concession tickets are $20. For more information or to make a booking, please call 8271 0329 or visit effectiveliving.org

For more information about the Recognise campaign, please visit recognise.org.au or call 1800 836 422 (toll-free).

This article first appeared on page 6 of the May 2015 edition of New Times available for download here.

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