By Justin RouillonThursday 2 Jun 2022Social JusticeReading Time: 2 minutes
Main Image: Dr Anne Pattel-Gray delivers her keynote address at the 2022 Prayer Breakfast. Listen to audio from the breakfast in the players below.
It seemed only natural that the theme for the 2022 Lord Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast was that of reconciliation with Australia’s First Nations people.
Taking place during National Reconciliation Week, the event was hosted by Brisbane Lord Mayor, Adrian Schrinner with businesswoman Ruth Limkin taking the reins as MC.
The breakfast has long been supported by 96five, and once again Brisbane’s Christian radio station showed our support for this important event in the Christian community calendar. This year’s event was easily the biggest in its 16 year history.
Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner with 96five’s General Manager Arthur Muhl.
Attendees were greeted with a traditional welcome to country from Tribal Experiences, and the challenge to reconcile and recognise was laid down passionately by keynote speaker Dr Anne Pattel-Gray.
Dr Pattel-Gray is a Christian theologian, a descendent of the Badjiri/Kari Kari people of Queensland and a recognised indigenous leader throughout Australia. She has written a number of books and was the first indigenous person to be awarded a PhD from the University of Sydney.
With Australia’s new Prime Minister having committed to the Uluru Statement From the Heart, Dr Pattel Gray reflected on former PM Paul Keating’s December 1992 Redfern Statement.
“Here was a man who had the courage of his convictions to state the truth when Australia so desperately needed to hear it. Especially when he asked non-Aboriginal Australians to reflect on the treatment the First Nations people received, how would they feel?”
In his response to Dr Pattel-Gray’s address, Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said that although the challenges were complex, he believed they could be simplified.
“Each one of us, no matter our cultural background or the colour of our skin, was created in God’s image and is loved by God. That’s as simple as you need to get when it comes to reconciliation because that breaks down all the barriers.”
The Lord Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast has become a must attend for Brisbane’s Christian leaders, and this year the gathering was led in prayer by the following attendees:
- Pastor Rachael Brown from New Hope Church
- Jayden Ivers from the Salvation Army
- The Rev Canon Nicki Colledge from the Anglican Diocese of Brisbane
- Samuel Jones from the City Bible Forum
- Lorraine Wynne from the Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane