20th anniversary of Reconciliation Walk

Moriarty Foundation Co-Founder and Co-Chair, John Moriarty, his three kids – then aged 11, 16 and 18 – and his wife, Ros Moriarty, walked across Sydney Harbour Bridge on this day, 20 years ago, for reconciliation.

This week is National Reconciliation Week and the 20 year Bridge Walk anniversary is a point in time to remember the celebration and the hope shared by an astonishing turnout of close to 300,000 people who took the walk that day.

John’s painting, “Hands across the Land”, was the walk’s official poster. The original is held in the Balarinji collection at the National Museum of Australia. A black hand from Country reaches out to a white hand coming from across the seas, looking to connect. The arcs in the corners reflect people coming from all corners of the globe to make up our nation. If the arcs are joined, we can create a circle of belonging. The background shows places on Country, our foundational story.

In National Reconciliation Week, Balarinji celebrates the Traditional Custodians of Australia and pays our respects to Elders past and present.