Be Brave, Make Change: Reconciliation Week Events Happening Across Australia
- Words by Peppermint
top image CHILDREN’S GROUND
Friday will mark the start of National Reconciliation Week here in Australia – a time for all Australians to contribute to building better relationships with First Nations peoples.
The theme this year is ‘Be Brave. Make Change.’ and challenges us all to do the work to make changes that will benefit us as a nation – not just leave the heavy lifting to First Nations peoples.
True reconciliation requires so much more than a mere week of reflection. And in reality, there really has never been a state we could “reconcile” to. To move forward we need real, systemic change from both the top down and at the grassroots level.
A Google search will serve up a plethora of reliable resources delving further into race, diversity and equality (and is a great starting point) but we’ve compiled a list of events happening over the next week where you can support Australia’s First Nations peoples. With hundreds of activities planned from the Opera House to local libraries, take the opportunity to engage with our history and learn something new.
Wear It Yellow
Wear it Yellow for Children’s Ground this National Reconciliation Week and help the Aboriginal-led not-for-profit fundraise for change and brighten the future for First Nations kids and their families.
Reconciliation Week Pop-Up Market
For one night only, the Reconciliation Week Pop-Up Market is taking over Level 22 of the Spencer Street WeWork site and filling it with an epic line-up of First Nations businesses and creatives. Feast your senses on a cavalcade of art, food and drink, design and culture all under one roof with legends like Kinya Lerrk, Haus of Dizzy, Salty One and many more!
NATIONAL RECONCILIATION WEEK PLANTING
The City of Tea Tree Gully in South Australia is helping sow the seeds of reconciliation by literally offering you the opportunity to to sow some native seeds. Join Kaurna Elder Tamaru on an outing to learn more about Aboriginal culture and help plant traditional bush tucker plants in the Stevens Reserve.
EUCALYPTUSDOM
Give me a home among the gum trees… Explore our long-standing history and ever-changing relationship to that stalwart specimen of Australiana, the eucalyptus tree, with this fascinating exhibition from the Powerhouse Museum, featuring over 400 objects from the Powerhouse Collection alongside 17 newly commissioned works by creatives from across the fields of design, architecture, film, applied arts and performance.
READ MORE – Get Up, Stand Up, Show Up: Why 26 January Can Never Represent a Day of Unity
THE CENTRAL VICTORIAN INDIGENOUS FILM FESTIVAL
Experience the exciting output of a new generation of storytellers. The Central Victorian Indigenous Film Festival returns in 2022 as part of National Reconciliation Week, showcasing an exciting range of Indigenous films, documentaries and videos starring and telling the stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people. Many events and screenings are available online to audiences across Australia so check out the program now!
ULURU STATEMENT FROM THE HEART 5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY – WALK AND ACTION
26 May, or National Reconciliation Week Eve, falls upon the five-year anniversary of the Uluru Statement from the Heart. Show up and show your support by joining this walk around UQ’s St Lucia Campus and learn more about the Uluru Statement from the Heart, the recent Yarrabah Affirmation and how you can be brave and make change for an Indigenous voice in parliament!
READ MORE – Indigenous Resources For Becoming An Ally
STATE LIBRARY OF QUEENSLAND – MABO 30 YEARS ON
The legendary Eddie Mabo is getting an exhibition of his own at the State Library of Queensland. Legacy: Reflections on Mabo celebrates the thirtieth anniversary of the landmark decision – which recognised in Australian law for the first time the right of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to their lands – by acknowledging and commemorating his remarkable life, politics, activism and legacy.
VIRTUAL INDIGENOUS FILM FESTIVAL 2022
The Virtual Indigenous Film Festival returns for its triumphant fourth year. Curated around the Reconciliation Week theme, ‘Be Brave, Make Change’, the festival features five incredible First Nations films exploring inspiring changemakers, short films from exciting emerging talents and live Q&A panels with the filmmakers, industry leaders, community elders and cultural academics. Don’t miss this exciting exploration of First Nations stories, voices and conversations.
CELEBRATE FIRST NATIONS STORIES, LANGUAGES AND CULTURES
The Indigenous Literacy Foundation (founded by Suzy Wilson of Riverbend Books, Bulimba Brisbane!) celebrates Reconciliation Week with this virtual event, capturing the voice and hearts of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, Elders, authors, community organisations and individuals from across the country through stories – in books, in song and dance, in conversations, through hunting and cooking and most importantly, in language.
READ MORE – “Deadly Every Day of the Year”: Four Lessons to Reflect on This NAIDOC Week
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“My piece of advice for makers and designers? Run your own race… make sure your key decisions stay anchored in your brand’s core beliefs.”
- Bec Bligh
Quick show of hands: who’s opened a water bottle expecting a refreshing sip… and instead been greeted by the unmistakable whiff of uh-oh?
Because for something that follows us everywhere (desk, car, hikes, yoga…), the humble drink bottle is strangely prone to becoming a science experiment. Hard-to-clean corners and gaskets. Mystery smells. Bec Bligh and her husband Tim know it well. A six-month sailing trip along the Queensland coast left them with a lifetime of memories and one stubborn annoyance: mouldy water bottles they couldn’t properly clean.
So they did something about it.
Enter @EverVessel. Thoughtfully designed borosilicate glass and stainless steel bottles that keep things beautifully simple: durable materials, wide openings, easy-to-clean parts and none of the techy gimmicks that tend to age badly. Turns out simplicity, done well, is pretty powerful stuff. (Their many design awards agree!)
And lately they’ve added a little extra delight: the Artist Series, where creatives like Paola Castro, Ben Miners and Martin Thompson transform these everyday companions into tiny travelling artworks. There are more colabs in the works, too: hydration, but make it joyful! 🎨💧
We chatted with Bec about the sailing trip that started it all, the philosophy behind Ever Vessel, and why the most sustainable product is often just the one you keep using.
Tap the link in our bio to read the full conversation. 🚰
#EverVessel #ReusableWaterBottle
Pull up a chair… there’s room at this table!
For the first time, Feast for Freedom is bringing people together for a spectacular long-table dinner as part of the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival.
A Longer Table is exactly what it sounds like: one beautiful shared table inside the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (@Asrc1), piled with generous dishes inspired by this year’s hero cooks, Noha and Nige.
From 6 to 9pm on Wednesday, 25 March, this is what you can expect:
🍽 A three-course shared feast
🍷 Matched drinks
🎶 Live entertainment
✨ A room full of good humans
Your ticket doesn’t just buy you a delicious dinner. It supports the ASRC’s vital work and helps create a fairer future for people seeking asylum.
Seats are limited, and long tables have a way of filling up quickly – head to @MelbFoodAndWine’s website to book now: feastforfreedom.org.au/mfwf
#FeastForFreedom #MelbourneFoodAndWineFestival #LongTableDinner #FoodForChange
Sew versatile! 🪡
Another great make from Lisa from @SunnySewsEveryday:
My #PeppermintWaratahWrapDress is finished and I’m so proud of it. It has been designed not to flap open and flash your pants in the wind, so I feel confident it will be a great wheelchair or standing dress in English weather.
#PeppermintPatterns #WrapDress #WrapDressPattern
Frame your face with the Peppermint Bucket Hat!
Stay safe and stylish in the sun with your very own self-sewn and self-drafted wide-brimmed bucket hat. This beginner-friendly sew is perfect for a sunny day. Get out your pencils – this pattern is created using equations and maths!
This DIY project was featured in Issue 53 and now you can access it for the lovely low price of only $5.
Sun-safe chic is always in style. ☀️
Find it via the link in our bio!
Photos: @KelleySheenan
#PeppermintPatterns #PeppermintBucketHat #BucketHat #BucketHatPattern #DIY
✨ INSTANT CLASSIC ✨
The Peppermint Myrtle Shift Dress is a beginner-friendly make with a few special details based on the ever-stylish shift shape – the perfect dress you need in your wardrobe right now!
Myrtle cuts above the knee with options to customise the length. Don’t think she’s reserved for hot weather either: try a heavier-weight fabric to turn your Myrtle into a pinafore-style garment for layering.
For our fabrics we chose two from our lovely sewing partner @Karmme_Apparel – the bold Rottnest Stripes in a lightweight, soft-drape cotton, and the quality linen in the handpainted Mexico Collection.
Get making the Myrtle – the only question is, can you stop at just one?
Link in bio 🪡
Fabric: @Karmme_Apparel
Sewist: @Laura_The_Maker
Photos: @KelleySheenan
Models: @SerahSews and @Pins_And_Tonic
Location: @ShareTheDignityAustralia
#PeppermintMyrtleShiftDress #PeppermintPatterns
It’s time to Feast!
Some recipes travel a long way before they land on your table to delight your taste buds. This year’s Feast for Freedom invites us to gather our friends, cook something delectable and raise funds for the incredible work of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (@Asrc1) while we’re at it.
The 2026 Feast features recipes shared by two remarkable cooks: Noha, who brought the flavours of Palestine with her when she arrived in Australia, and Nige, a Sri-Lankan Tamil cook whose journey with food began in the most unexpected of places.
You can host your own Feast up until 30 April – simply register online and get planning! Host a dinner, organise a workplace lunch, or gather your community… However you do it, the idea is simple: cook, connect and celebrate the cultures and stories that shape Australia.
Want to find out more? Head to the link in bio to meet Noha and Nige, learn more about their stories, and discover a delicious recipe to try.
#FeastForFreedom #PeppermintMagazine #FoodForGood #ASRC
