State memorial to honour Rev Dr Gondarra OAM
A service will take place this Thursday at Nungalinya College in Darwin to honour the trailblazing Yolŋu elder who died in June
August 27, 2024
A state memorial will be held this week for Rev Dr Gondarra OAM, senior Yolŋu lawman, pioneering Aboriginal leader and Uniting Church minister, who died in June.
Rev Dr Gondarra was instrumental in the founding of the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress and provided visionary leadership to Congress, the Uniting Church and the global church for over four decades.
The service will take place at 11am ACST, this Thursday 29 August at Nungalinya College in Darwin (11:30am AEST, 9:30am AWST). It will be live streamed.
Flags will be flown at half mast in the Northern Territory that day.
The Uniting Church will be well represented by many of our leaders. National Chairperson of the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress Rev Mark Kickett, and General Secretary of the Northern Synod Rev Janet Staines, will both attend in an official capacity. Rev Kickett will speak on behalf of the Uniting Church in Australia.
Rev Steve Orme, past Moderator of the Northern Synod Rev Thresi Mauboy and past President Stuart McMillan will all play a role in the service. Ex-President Rev Sharon Hollis will attend on behalf of Uniting Church President Rev Charissa Suli, and Frontier Services National Director Rob Floyd will attend on behalf of General Secretary (Interim) Rev Lindsay Cullen.
The service will begin with a welcome to country and buŋgul (Yolŋu ceremony). Tributes will include addresses from the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory and the Arnhem Land Progress Aboriginal Corporation, which Rev Dr Gondarra chaired for more than 30 years.
We invite people across the Uniting Church to consider joining the service online as we honour the far-reaching legacy of Rev Dr Gondarra, a giant in the life of our Church and nation.
Read more Covenanting news
Following Footsteps, Bringing Hope
Following Footsteps, Bringing Hope Earlier this month, our outback ministry agency Frontier Services commissioned Pastor Kirsty Burgu as its newest Bush Chaplain to stand with those living in the remote West Kimberley region of Western Australia In the West Kimberley, where ancient and biologically rich landscapes stretch wide beneath an endless sky, a new…
Paul Minty named full-time EO to National Commission
Paul Minty appointed as full-time Executive Officer to National Commission for Governance, Resourcing and Administration Dr Paul Minty brings to the role a unique blend of technical expertise, leadership experience and ministry engagement Subscribe to our newsletter If you want to get the latest news from the Uniting Church in Australia then…
Welcoming First Nations Economic Empowerment Alliance
UCA, UAICC and UnitingCare Australia welcome First Nations Economic Empowerment Alliance The announcement was made this morning by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in a speech at the Garma Festival in Gulkula Uniting Church, Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress and UnitingCare Australia welcome First Nations Economic Empowerment Alliance as a step toward shared prosperity…
Celebrating NAIDOC Week 2025
Celebrating NAIDOC Week 2025NAIDOC Week 2025 marks 50 years of honouring Indigenous voices, culture and resilience. The Uniting Church, together with the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress (UAICC), celebrates this milestone and the enduring strength of First Nations peoples. NAIDOC Week has grown into an annual event of hope, truth-telling and a powerful declaration…
Planting Hope: Vision, Volunteers and a Community Revitalised
Planting Hope: Vision, Volunteers and a Community Revitalised A 20-year dream has been fulfilled in the outback terrain of South Australia, bringing the hope of Jesus to a remote communityBy Rob Floyd, National Director of Frontier ServicesIt isn’t often that you embark on an epic journey, through vast expanses of desert, to witness the birth…
Yarta Wandatha: The land is speaking
Yarta Wandatha: the land is speaking, the people are speaking Walking with Elders, learning from their ancient wisdom and wrestling with the lessons that creation – ‘God’s oldest voice’ – has to teach us todayThis article was first published in VOX, the bulletin of the University of Divinity. It is republished with permission. By Dr…
Welcome to Country: an ancient, sacred ritual
Welcome to Country: a sacred ritual inviting us all into deeper relationship with this ancient land Uniting Church President Rev Charissa Suli has written a response after two deeply hurtful events related to Welcome to Country ceremonies on Friday sparked painful debate about the place of the custom in public life Rev Charissa Suli, President…
Lament in Lent for our native forests
lament in lent: on country, with country, for country Aunty Alison Overeem and Rev Alex Sangster invite the Uniting Church community to show solidarity with creation through the lament in lent vigil, being held on country in Tasmania This Lent, come and stand with mob on Country to support our ancient forests! Proud Palawa woman…