The National Walk for Truth is on its way to Sandhurst: get ready to step up!
The National Walk for TruthNational Walk for Truth is making its way to towns in our Diocese, and Catholic Social Services Victoria encourages you to support this campaign.
You can play your part by joining public legs of the walk, giving the walkers a cheer, praying for truth, justice and healing or signing the open letter to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
By stepping into the story, you’re standing for truth-telling, justice and healing, and a shared future where recognition, voice and a fuller national story can lead to deeper unity in our nation.
Catholic Social Services Victoria is backing the initiative, affirming that truth-telling is central to healing:
"We believe that truth-telling is fundamental to reconciliation and justice broadly, and links well with the ongoing work of our member organisations and what has been said by Church leadership at the national level — the Plenary Council decrees, the Australian Bishops’ 2023-2024 statement Listen, Learn, Love, and NATSICC’s endorsement of the Uluru Statement From the Heart. The Australian Bishops, in their 2023-2024 statement, particularly acknowledged the need for injustices to be recognised, and for deep listening and change to occur, urging ‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples need to be welcomed from the margins into the centre so that they can lead the discussions about change and implementation of actions to bring about healing and justice’".
Experiences from the Yoorrook Justice Commission have shown how powerful it can be when people are heard. This walk builds on that work, inviting all of us to take a step — however small — towards healing and justice.
The walk began at Victorian Parliament House on 19 April and will continue to Parliament House by 27 May, travelling through the Diocese of Sandhurst (Nagambie, Mooroopana, Shepparton, Benalla, Wangaratta and Wodonga) along the way.
Join Public legs of the Walk or give the walkers a spur on!
Catholic schools, parishes, organisations and individuals are all invited to join various public sections of the walk.
Registrations open thirty minutes before the walk starts, or avoid the queue and register online. There are also special events, such as a talk at a massacre site (at the Benalla Lake on 2 May) , and changeover of message sticks between legs of the walk (on 28 April in Shepparton).
A summary follows, please make sure you check details of each leg at the National Walk For Truth website.
26 April – Nagambie (Day 8)
Start: 9:30 am Lake Nagambie Boat Park at 9:30 am (registrations at 9 am)
Finish: 11:30 am opposite the Nagambie Bowling Club
28 April – Mooroopna and Shepparton (Day 10)
9:30 am: Start at Boer War Memorial, Mooroopna
12:00 pm: Finish at Tom Collins Drive Park, Shepparton (near playground & swimming centre)
12:30 pm: Start at Tom Collins Drive Park, Shepparton
2:30 pm: Finish at Queen’s Park Gardens, Shepparton
2:30 pm Message Stick Handover at Queen’s Park Gardens, Shepparton
3:30 pm: Start at Queen’s Gardens, Shepparton
5:30 pm Message Stick handover at Munarra Centre for Regional Excellence, Shepparton
6.00 pm: Finish at Munarra Centre for Regional Excellence, Numurkah Rd, Shepparton (Sports stadium)
2 MAY Lake Benalla Walking Track
10:00 am: Corner of Ackerly Avenue & Lake Benalla Walking Track.
Visit and talk at Massacre site during the walk.
12:30 pm: Finish Benalla Aboriginal Garden, Cnr Benalla St and Lake Benalla Walking Track)
3 MAY – Wangaratta
1:30 pm: Start Mitchell Avenue Water Play Park (Cnr Mitchell Ave & Gemmell St) Wangaratta
3:30 pm: Finish at Merriwa Park (Cnr of Ryley and Warby St) Wangaratta
7 MAY – Albury
10:00 am: Start walk at Oddies Creek Park – Wagirra Trail (off Wodonga Place), South Albury
12:30 pm: Finish at Water Fountain, Albury Botanical Gardens, Wodonga Place, Albury.
For more information, visit the National Walk for Truth website.
pdf Download the Prayer for truth, justice and healing (913 KB) by Catholic Education Sandhurst Ltd.