At my daughter’s graduation, I became annoyed when the fifth consecutive speaker began their speech with an Acknowledgement of Country. Does that make me a racist?
D.L., Newcastle, NSW

A: Of course you’re not a racist. You’d only be a racist if you had a problem with the Acknowledgement of Country itself – if you were sitting there, at your daughter’s graduation, thinking, “Why do they do this? I don’t get it. Can’t they just recite I Love A Sunburnt Country or some lyrics by Kevin Bloody Wilson? Now that’d mean something to me.”

And sure, maybe there didn’t need to be an Acknowledgement of Country before five consecutive speeches, but shouldn’t everyone be allowed to express their respect for the traditional owners of our land who’ve been treated appallingly for hundreds of years? Personally, I don’t think it can be repeated enough. It’s the high point of most speeches and, sometimes, I wish speakers would just say it, bow and get off.

On a much more trivial level, you’ve got to remember that public speaking terrifies people, which is why many speeches start off so badly – usually with a bumbled hello, then a nervous throat-clear, then a dry-mouthed sip of water, then a sweaty-handed drop of the water bottle, then an awkward bend-down to pick up the bottle, then a painful head-thwack on the underside of the lectern when standing back up. And finally an embarrassed chuckle before the speech begins, followed by complete audience silence for the rest of the speech, including the bit at the end when people are meant to clap.

So an Acknowledgement of Country serves two extremely useful functions: most importantly, it’s a heartfelt gesture of reconciliation toward this nation’s First Peoples. And way less importantly, it’s a meaningful opener that eases people into a speech so no heads get thwacked on stage furnishings.

guru@goodweekend.com.au

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