Listening, learning and walking together – reflections ahead of our next RAP
By Aunty Kym Monohan
I’ve always loved a good story, especially fantasy and scary ones.
There’s something about those tales that draw out deeper truths. They explore both the light and the dark. They teach us how to face fear, grow stronger and heal.
Kym performing a smoking ceremony in Footscray in 2023.
That’s not so different from the stories we sometimes try to avoid in real life — especially when it comes to the history of First Nations peoples in Australia. There are a lot of confronting truths in our shared history. But avoiding them doesn’t make them go away. Acknowledging them, and truly listening, is how we begin to move forward.
Kym with Paula, Alicia and Nadu from NJAC.
Born and raised in the vibrant, sometimes chaotic community of Collingwood in the late 1950s, I’ve seen a lot of change in my life. As a mother of three and proud grandmother of eight (and counting), I’ve spent over 45 years working alongside and for First Nations communities.
Through my work at Greater Western Water, I help bring First Nations voices, perspectives and values into everything we do. That includes our projects, our processes, our partnerships, and our own people. The Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) has been an important part of that.
As a First Nations person I do not need to reconcile. I was not the one who silenced the stories or built the systems that excluded us. But I believe it’s essential that any commitments made by an organisation genuinely reflect what First Nations communities want. It’s not about overreaching. It’s about walking together, not ahead.
Having the voices of community members at the table has been critical in shaping our next Innovate RAP. I’ve also brought prior experience from developing several RAPs in the past. I know how the system works, and I know how important it is to get it right.
Reconciliation is not about guilt or blame. It’s about truth, trust and action. It’s about listening and continuing to show up, even when the stories are hard to hear. The next chapter of our RAP journey is coming soon, and I’m proud to have helped shape it.
The more we understand where we’ve been, the easier it is to walk together as equals. In Victoria, the tabling of the Treaty Bill reminds us that we are living through a significant moment. It raises important questions about how voices are heard, how power is shared and how commitments translate into real change.