Commemoration of the Execution of two indigenous freedom fighters in 1842

On behalf of the Tunnerminnerwait and Maulboyheenner Commemoration Committee, I would like to invite you to attend the Tunnerminnerwait and Maulboyheenner Commemoration which will be held at the Tunnerminnerwait and Maulboyheenner monument at midday, Saturday 20th January 2018 at the corner of Victoria St and Franklin St, Melbourne.

In 1842 two indigenous freedom fighters, Tunnerminnerwait and Maulboyheenner, were the first men executed in Victoria. Since 2004 the Tunnerminnerwait and Maulboyheenner Commemoration Committee has worked towards the building of a monument in Melbourne to mark this pivotal event. The Melbourne City Council, led by Lord Mayor Robert Doyle, had the foresight and courage to support this project and funded the building of a monument at the execution site, at the corner of Victoria St and Franklin St, opposite the Old Melbourne Gaol, in September 2016. This is the first monument to the Frontier Wars that has been built in a major city in this country.

Reconciliation between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians is based on the recognition tens of thousands of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men, women and children died as a result of the colonisation of this land. On the 20th January, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Freedom Fighters Day, the Tunnerminnerwait and Maulboyheenner Commemoration Committee holds a public ceremony to honour the indigenous men, women and children who, during the colonisation process, were killed for protecting their lands, their families, their culture and a way of life they had practised for over 40,000 years.

The Tunnerminnerwait and Maulboyheenner Commemoration Committee believes your participation in this ceremony on Saturday 20th January 2018 would help to kick-start the stalled reconciliation process between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians.

We hope to see you on the day.
Dr. Joseph Toscano / Convenor Tunnerminnerwait and Maulboyheenner Commemoration Committee