First Nations people join Australia-wide dance

Rockhampton’s Fountain Park came alive to the sound of music and the spectacle of dance Sunday at noon

Indigenous dancers in Rockhampton on Sunday

The 'Fountain Park' on Rockhampton's southside came alive with the sound of music and the spectacle of dance at lunch time on Sunday.

Not only in Rockhampton but all over Australia, Aboriginal people answered the call from Alwyn Doolan to gather and dance at the same time.

 

Indigenous dancers in Rockhampton on Sunday

 

Mr Doolan, a Gooreng Gorreng and Wakka Wakka man, grew up at Woorabinda in Central Queensland.

He spent a year walking from Bamaga at the tip of Queensland to the steps of Parliament House to collect messages of reconciliation from 50 indigenous nations.

Mr Doolan posted social media messages from Woorabinda where, he said, the community was excited to take part in a nation-wide ceremony.

 

Indigenous dancers in Rockhampton on Sunday

 

For Darumbal woman Kristina Hatfield, who was present at the Rockhampton event, song and dance is the perfect medium to connect different people together.

"It's our way of life, a way of healing," she said.

"We give back to Mother Earth to acknowledge her and that, without her, we would not survive."