MESSAGE STICK "OLIVE BRANCH" CARRIES RECONCILIATION HOPES

YOUNG PEOPLE TAKING part in a countrywide relay working for racial reconciliation have replaced the baton with an old-fashioned olive branch.

Carrying a traditional painted message stick they are visiting Aboriginal communities to learn about native culture and build bridges of friendship that they hope will end years of division and prejudice.

Launched by Youth With A Mission's King's Kids ministry, the Reconciliation Relay aims to involve thousands of white and indigenous young people in face-to-face encounters that counter the "negative stereotypes" organizers say are fueled by the media.

The long-distance initiative began on the steps of Parliament House, Canberra when an Aboriginal pastor's wife presented a special message stick - traditionally granting the carrier safe passage with a communiqu‚ for another group - to a group of young white Christians.

Created by an Aboriginal artist, the relay stick pictures a group of white and black figures at opposite ends, with footsteps leading to the center where a Bible verse proclaims the "ministry of reconciliation" in Christ. Organizers plan to visit up to 50 sites - chosen for their historical significance - during the next year.

"Many were sites of Christian missions to Aboriginal people - and sadly often places where great atrocities occurred," said coordinator Judith Knight. "Others are places which are significant today because of the Aboriginal communities there. Some locations have only four-wheel drive access; others we will have to fly to. Some are on Aboriginal land, where we will have to seek special permission to enter."

At each location organizers hope to take part in a ceremony to formally present the message of reconciliation, and arrange discussion groups. There will also be training events with a focus on prayer, worship and missions.

"Many Australians have never met an Aboriginal person," said Knight, who is coordinating the Reconciliation Relay from YWAM's national King's Kids center in Kotara Fair, New South Wales. "Many assume they know what is going on by what they see and hear in the mass media. There is very little understanding of the many cultures, and unfortunately this situation in the wider community is often reflected in the Church."

The project had been welcomed by Christian leaders in the Aboriginal community, said Knight. "We hope that through this event people will take on the whole reconciliation issue as a personal one, as opposed to a political or corporate thing - getting out there to develop meaningful relationships with our indigenous brothers and sisters," she said.

"Much of the history of the interaction between black and white in Australia has been brutal. Worst of all, the atrocities have been hidden as though to do so would cause them to go away. We must make this history known, acknowledging the violence, dispossession and racism and the failure of government policies over many decades."

(Photo available on request)

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