Council
29 November, 2024
Smoking ceremony for new term
CORANGAMITE Shire Council marked the beginning of the new four-year term through a special smoking ceremony held on Tuesday.
There ceremony was conducted in the afternoon prior to the first Ordinary Meeting of Council since the council elections held in October.
Residents joined councillors in the avenue opposite the library to participate, with the ceremony run by Traditional Owner Joey Chatfield-Berg.
Mr Chatfield-Berg said he was ‘surprised’ to see the community joining in with the ceremony.
“I thought I was doing it just for councillors, and I didn’t realise community members were invited which was even better,” he said.
“I was quite overwhelmed, and it shows that support for what the occasion is about.”
Mr Chatfield-Berg made a speech prior to the Welcome to Country, talking about common misconceptions within the community regarding Welcome to Country ceremonies.
“My speech was about identifying the meaning and the purpose of why Welcome to Country is conducted, and for people to understand there is a lot of controversial comments and media coverage, and social media platforms have really put some views on Welcome to Country,” he said.
“I’m not offended by any of it because it doesn’t affect me – I know who I am and what I’m delivering.”
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