Article January 7, 2002 Issue

Reconciliation without fear

By William E. Moody

We Had Made the long journey, halfway around the world, from Boston to Perth. A different hemisphere. Different stars in the night sky. Even a different date on the calendar when we arrived. The east coast of North America and the west coast of Australia were worlds apart geographically. The landscapes and cityscapes were certainly distinctive. And although we did speak the same language . . . well, there was the American's "How ya doin'?" and Aussie's "G'day, mate!"

Still, my wife, Whitney, and I didn't feel out of place. We felt welcomed. The people throughout Australia had, without exception, been warm and friendly. As we checked into our hotel in Perth, we realized that this very day—December 3, 2000—was Australia's national day of reconciliation. It was a time when efforts were being made everywhere to put aside old fears and prejudices.

The native aboriginal population had planned large-scale rallies and marches in all the major cities to highlight the need to recognize their full rights and worth as individuals. It was another step forward in the long process of finding a way for genuine reconciliation between the original Australian people and the later settlers who had come from distant shores with a very different culture. This was a day of hope, as the aboriginal people and thousands of other Australians joined hands and marched together in a bond of common humanity, which ultimately includes each one of us, regardless of culture or nationality.