A direct descendant of Victoria’s first settlers has called for monuments
to her family to be removed or destroyed.

Suzannah Henty, a far-left art history teacher and PhD student at the
University of Melbourne whose research focuses on “anti-colonial and
decolonial contemporary art”, appeared before the Yoorrook Justice
Commission truth-telling inquiry on Thursday.

Ms Henty is a sixth-generation descendent of pioneer James Henty, whose
brother Edward arrived in Portland in 1834 and was the Australian state’s
first permanent settler.

She told the commission: “I want to acknowledge the invasion of my
forefathers and the war that ensued was a crime that continues to inflict
harm.”

The Eumeralla Wars between British settlers and local Aboriginal people
after the arrival of the Hentys left an estimated 6,500 Indigenous
combatants dead for the loss of only 80 settlers.

Ms Henty claimed to the commission that her ancestors were “involved in an
organised ethnic cleansing of First Nations peoples” and that she was
“never told”.

She said that monuments to her ancestors in Portland should be taken down,
and moved to a park or museum for “fallen monuments” or be destroyed.

“Memorialising the Henty family is essential to colonisation,” she told the
commission, which is a hearing into alleged injustices against Victoria’s
Indigenous people.

“Removing these monuments is a start to repairing the injustice committed
by settlers. Ultimately, I believe that Indigenous people should be
responsible for what happens to the monuments.”

In 2020, the wake of deadly Black Lives Matter riots across the United
States which caused widespread destruction and death, she wrote an opinion
piece for The Guardian stating that BLM was a “transnational movement”,
reflecting on her ancestry, and calling for reparations and the dismantling
of “colonial systems”.

> Suzannah Henty, a sixth generation descendant of the Henty settlers
> speaks out about her family's' past and the importance of understanding
> and acknowledging the true history of Victoria.
> Follow to stay up to date on Yoorrook's Land, Sky & Water hearings and
> #truthtelling. pic.twitter.com/SW5dqKMxBn

> — Yoorrook Justice Commission (@yoorrookjc) March 28, 2024

Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation chief
executive Jill Gallagher, an Aboriginal woman, told the inquiry that
Indigenous people needed to be given Crown land.

“We need places to heal and connect, safe places,” Ms Gallagher said.

“Owning land and having access to land, it really is that ongoing
sustainable approach to self determination … at a local level.”

The Yoorrook Justice Commission is the first formal “truth-telling”
inquiry in Australian history, and has the same powers as a Royal
Commission.

Set up to investigate alleged “systemic injustices” against Indigenous
people, the commission can compel evidence, call witnesses, hold public
hearings and make recommendations to government. Its final report in due in
mid-2025.

<https://web.archive.org/web/20240404084906/https://www.noticer.news/henty-descendant-calls-for-destruction-of-portland-victoria-monuments-to-her-ancestors/>

D. Ray wrote:

/snip/

> The Yoorrook Justice Commission is the first formal “truth-telling”
> inquiry in Australian history, and has the same powers as a Royal
> Commission.
> Set up to investigate alleged “systemic injustices” against Indigenous
> people, the commission can compel evidence, call witnesses, hold public
> hearings and make recommendations to government. Its final report in due in
> mid-2025.

Given the nasty Anglo-Celtic racist nature of over privileged hard-right
political circles within OZ (i.e. the Murdoch media machinery, Advance
Australia mob and similar, Gestapo Dutton and his henchmen and
fish_and_chips auntie Hanson with her assorted bogan goons) and their
despicable misinformation and full of outright lies campaign activities
around the voice referendum I'd say this is the least we can do for the
indigenous citizens of this continent.

This is all about exercising basic decency and human compassion,
acknowledging past mistakes while preserving democracy for all in an
equitable measure.
There is nothing far leftist about this, except for to stating the
obvious: no leftists on the planet of any kind would stay in the way of
such appropriate inquiry, in fact, just the opposite.

So your point of cross-posting this article to multiple Usenet
newsgroups is what exactly?????

--
Ördög
The on duty Newsgroup Devil