STOLENWEALTH GAMES LETTERS ACTION

Background
The Stolenwealth Games letters action was one of two ANTaR Victoria strategies designed to respond autonomously to and generate support for the Black GST campaign around the Commonwealth Games. (The second strategy was the successful ANTaR-led co-signed letter on Indigenous rights, developed in collaboration with the NGO network for rights and reconciliation.)

Bird's eye view of Stolenwealth Games letters installed at Camp Sovereignty

The term ‘Stolenwealth Games’ was devised by Robbie Thorpe, Gunnai/Maar man, genocide litigator, radio broadcaster and member of the Black GST collective.

ANTaR strategy
The Black GST collective invited autonomous actions by supporters to draw attention to the issues of G (genocide), S (sovereignty) and T (treaty) in the presence of international media during the Commonwealth Games, Melbourne, 15-26 March 2006. ANTaR Victoria responded by developing the idea for and implementing a procession of 6-foot white wooden letters spelling ‘STOLENWEALTH GAMES’.

By staging this action, ANTaR intended to draw attention to the many things that have been stolen from Indigenous people as an ongoing result of conolisation – stolen land, stolen lifestyle, stolen wealth, stolen language, stolen children, stolen ancestral remains, stolen wages.

A key aim was also to encourage Australians, at a time of national pride and celebration, not to forget those areas in which we don’t perform well; to learn from those comparable Commonwealth nations that have treaties and self-government and consequently, better outcomes for Indigenous peoples.

In order to attain maximum attention and media coverage, the procession was timed with the convergence of the public and media in Melbourne CBD for the annual Moomba parade on 13 March 2006 – two days before the opening ceremony of the ‘Stolenwealth’ Games.

Following a long display of the letters on the footbridge linking Southbank and Flinders St Station (providing fantastic visuals for spectators on Princes bridge and Southbank), the letter bearers walked in formation up St Kilda Rd to Camp Sovereignty at Kings Domain, where the Black GST and supporters had (the previous day) created space for Indigenous people and supporters to camp and converge. The reception of the letters at Camp was rapturous, with people laughing, and cheering as the letters appeared over the rise. The members of the procession were invited to participate in a welcoming ceremony around the Sacred Fire at the camp.

The letters were installed at the Camp for the duration of the Stolenwealth Games where the many media helicopters hovering above the MCG - the sporting headquarters of the Games - had a prime bird’s eye view.

Making it happen
FtF staff and a sub-group of the ANTaR committee recruited people to implement the procession. Over 50 people were involved as drivers, morning tea coordinators, letter bearers, documentation team, media and police liaison, media spokespeople, writing flyers and press alerts and releases, marshals, handing out flyers and so on. Several ANTaR members as well as Quakers, Black GST supporters, friends and family were roped in to bring this off! ANTaR National provided an invaluable one and a half day media planning and training session.

Outcomes
All who helped develop and implement this project were extremely satisfied by the experience and the results. The overt response of the public to the procession was unanimously positive, with many passers by expressing curiosity and engaging in conversation or just interpreting the message… “S, T, O.. Stolen… Wealth… oh! Stolenwealth Games! Ha ha!” was heard countless times.

Media coverage was extensive. The procession and comments by ANTaR Victoria’s chair and spokesperson, Jill Webb, were reported on Channel 7 News, ABC News, The Age, The Herald Sun, AAP, SBS Radio, ABC Radio, TripleJ, 3CR, RRR, South African TV and New Zealand Radio. The Herald Sun also printed an opinion piece refuting the ‘stolen wealth’ proposition in days following, setting off a flurry of letters to the editor. We were very pleased to receive this in- depth response and debate around the substantive issues we sought to raise via the action.

Related links and resources
Download the ANTaR flyer for the Stolenwealth Games letters action (PDF)

Get a copy of the Stolenwealth Poster Series

a collection of twenty-one diverse tabloid sized posters all responding to the issues of Genocide, Sovereignty and Treaty. Provocative, strong, and beautiful, some of these posters will spark conversation, some make you cry, and some make you smile. Most importantly, we hope they make you want to change the current state of Indigenous affairs in Australia. >>>> Copies can be obtained from ANTaR Victoria