Billed as ‘Australia’s Day – the People’s Day’, the focus was on acknowledging the wrongs of the past while also looking forward to building a better future together.

Robert Canning, one of the instigators, said he couldn’t sleep the night before and was up at dawn doing smoking ceremonies to bless the whole area.

He welcomed people to the inaugural event, a day of remembrance similar to Anzac Day, and a day of unity.

“What we’re going to try to do today is bring everyone together as one,” he said. “So it’s not just 231 years but 60,231 years.”

Robert used to be on the frontline of ‘Invasion Day’ marches in Brisbane six years ago and he understands the anger that fuels them, but he thinks there is a better way of addressing the impact that colonialisation has had on Indigenous people.

“From an Aboriginal point of view, Australia Day has never been done properly,” he said. “We see people celebrating and they’re forgetting about what happened. We had a lot of lives lost, our culture lost and identities lost. Today we’re going to acknowledge that so we can move forward and help the Aboriginal people stop being victims of history, so we can help everyone lift up together as one.”

Robert also acknowledged white people were killed in the conflicts after settlement, and the harm that’s been done to the environment.

The crowd then observed a minute’s silence, to reflect, remember and respect.

Robert’s mother was part of the Stolen Generation and he grew up nursing a burning anger, feeling abandoned. He reconnected with her shortly before she died, and found out his mob came from this area.

“The first time I felt like a human being was in Bellingen,” Robert said. “Because everyone treated me the same as anyone else.”

Bellingen’s Pastor Paul McGovern, who has advised and supported Robert, spoke about the power of choosing to forgive. “We can’t change the past, but we can change the future if we choose to,” he said.

Chamber of Commerce president Steve Allen thanked the founders of Australia’s Day, Robert Canning and Peter Lister, for their vision. “If we don’t talk about and acknowledge the past, there’s no way to Advance Australia Fair,” Steve said.

Speaking after the event, Robert said that next year there could be a stronger emphasis on the current issues Indigenous people face, such as deaths in custody, higher rates of imprisonment and suicide and poorer health and educational outcomes.

“Because this was our first event, I didn’t want people to walk away depressed. I wanted them to feel they can come next year and we can open up talking about those issues. Talking about some serious business.”

As well as speeches, Australia’s Day featured music, food, activities for the kids and an official citizenship ceremony.

Mayor Dominic King formally welcomed five new citizens to Bellingen Shire: Mrs Verna Jones, Mrs Miyoung Kim, Ms Dubhe Ledesma, Mr Benedict Jedrej and Mrs Beatrix O’Brien.

Video of love encourages sharing of Australia’s Day

Urunga’s Robert Canning plays for the Royals