The VIS’ RAP working group is responsible for the development and implementation of the initial Reflect RAP for the whole organisation. Showcasing the VIS’ commitment to creating change and ensuring that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander athletes are recognised, respected and celebrated throughout the whole Institute.
The project group consists of VIS scholarship holder, and a proud Wiradjuri woman Gabrielle Coffey (Netball) (Pictured Above, Credit: The AIS), fellow VIS scholarship holder Rhydian Cowley (Race walking), recently retired Paralympian and now current VIS employee Mitchell Gourley (Para-alpine skiing) as well as VIS CEO Anne Marie Harrison and VIS staff members (Cathryn Pruscino, Vanessa Bof, Will Morgan, Camilla Blands and Chris Tetaz).
The project is guided by experienced RAP consultant Jaynaya Winmar, who is a proud Noonagar/Balladong woman, in conjunction with VIS Board Member Shelley Ware, a proud Yankunyjatjara and Wirangu woman.
Victorian Institute of Sport Chief Executive Officer Anne Marie Harrison acknowledges that this is a significant milestone for the VIS and continues to ensure the organisation is a safe, inclusive and nurturing environment where athletes and staff will continue to thrive, now and into the future.
“The VIS RAP working group is taking the whole organisation on the journey to understand and value the importance of reconciliation and embed respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their traditions in our operations."
“The VIS is committed to playing our role as leaders in high performance sport in Victoria in supporting reconciliation and the Uluru Statement of the Heart,” Harrison said. “We look forward to learning through the process and experience and implementing the actions.”
To learn more about Reconciliation Action Plans and how your organisation can take meaningful action to advance reconciliation, click HERE.
National Reconciliation Week
National Reconciliation Week (NRW) is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.
The dates for NRW are the same each year; 27 May to 3 June.
These dates commemorate two significant milestones in the reconciliation journey— the successful 1967 referendum, and the High Court Mabo decision respectively.
27 May 1967 On this day, Australia’s most successful referendum saw more than 90 per cent of Australians vote to give the Australian Government power to make laws for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and recognise them in the Census.
3 June 1992 On this day, the Australian High Court delivered the Mabo decision, the culmination of Eddie Koiki Mabo’s challenge to the legal fiction of ‘terra nullius’ (land belonging to no one) and leading to the legal recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of lands. This decision paved the way for Native Title.
Reconciliation must live in the hearts, minds and actions of all Australians as we move forward, creating a nation strengthened by respectful relationships between the wider Australian community, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Sourced: Reconciliation Australia, Learn More
Acknowledgment of Country
The Victorian Institute of Sport acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land we live and work on, the people of the Kulin Nation and recognise their continuing connection to this land and waterways. We pay our respects to their Elders, past and present and extend this to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People.
