Waminda Cultural Manager and Jerrinja woman Cleone Wellington said the debate was not only about changing the date, but was about “changing Australia”.

“People talk about moving on and getting over it,” she said. “How can we get over it when the impacts of what’s happened 200 years ago are still happening today?”

Ms Wellington believes high incarceration rates, children in custody and land rights need to be addressed before Indigenous people can celebrate. 

As a non-Indigenous person, Waminda CEO Faye Worner said she wanted to feel comfortable about celebrating with the First Nations people.

“We, as non-Aboriginal people, have a lot to answer for,” she said.

She asked why Australians knew the history of European countries, yet didn’t know about massacres on Indigenous peoples that occurred in our local areas.

She said Australia was far behind other countries when it came to recognising the sovereignty of the First Nations people.

“I don’t think people are able to think through well enough because we haven’t got the political leadership.”

She said it was important for non-Indigenous Australians to feel “uncomfortable” about the day, but to take action and make improvements.

“Of course everyone needs to understand and love this country but you can’t do that in isolation of what’s happened,” said Ms Worner.

“I’d love a long weekend but I’ll have a long weekend when it’s meaningful and respectful.”

Health Promotion Officer and Yuin woman Trish Deaves said she used to “take advantage” of Australia Day with her friends before she educated herself about the meaning of the day.

“A lot of people think we’re trying to take over but we just want to be heard and understood.”

When asked his opinion on the significance of Australia Day, Budawang Elder Noel Butler returned with his own question: “What is Australia Day really about?”

Mr Butler said, if the day was about celebrating Australian culture, it should be acknowledged Indigenous cultures are older than any other living culture in the country.

He said if Australia needed a national day of celebration, then it should not be celebrated on January 26.

“That’s just the start of the destruction and annihilation of the longest-living civilisation on Earth,” he said.

“Until that’s recognised and accepted and Aboriginal people are treated equally, how can we celebrate and be a party to something that still isolates us from the rest of Australians?”

Mr Butler believes Aboriginal values, history and culture belongs to all Australians and is something to be proud of. Mr Butler said he and his wife Trish would run a bush food walk tour of the South Coast on January 26 through the Nura Gunyu program. 

“We’re offering to take people on a walk through the bush and teach the real cultural walk, the real values of this land,” he said.

“A lot of people are not aware of the thousands of different plant foods that we have in this land that are edible and highly nutritious.

“It’s just a point of when other Australians want to listen and learn, and we can continue the ancient culture and we can learn altogether and look after this place. Otherwise, I believe it is not sustainable living.”

Wandi Wandian Elder Sonny Simms is “not fussy” about whether Australia Day is a day of celebration for other Australians.

However, he said many Australians did not understand what his ancestors endured since the arrival of Captain Phillip.

Instead of protesting the date, Mr Simms joins family each year in La Perouse to throw reeds into Botany Bay as a sign of respect.

For him Australia Day is a day of mourning, but he would not change the date.

“It’s Australia Day and we can’t change it. That’s history so let’s move forward now,” he said. 

More information about the bush food walk, go to www.nuragunyu.com.au.