THE Swan Hill Koori Court was the first in Victoria to introduce Indigenous language at court sittings.
And although it is among the more recently established courts, it is ahead of the rest, according to Aunty Stephanie Charles.
Ms Charles is one of the local Elders who presides over local Koori court sitting days. She spoke at the court house on Monday to highlight NAIDOC Week.
“We are the first ones to do the opening in language, we are only four years young and everyone else has been going a lot longer, so that is an achievement in itself,” she said.
“Growing up on a mission station, we never heard much of the language, it was forbidden, we weren’t allowed to speak it, so it is a great pride to do this now.”
The Koori court system was introduced in Victoria in 2002, with courts now at Shepparton, Broadmeadows, Melbourne, Mildura, Warrnambool and Swan Hill.
For more on this story, grab a copy of Wednesday’s Guardian (July 8).
