HELP US TO FINISH OZ
Media Release 28 May 2010
To mark the 10th anniversary of the Bridge Walks for Reconciliation, a new public awareness campaign has been launched asking Australians to recommit to reconciliation—and ‘help finish Oz’.
The campaign features well-known Australian faces, in a slightly different light, including Jack Thompson, Jonathan Thurston, Andrew Denton, Natalie Bassingthwaighte, Sigrid Thornton, Adam Goodes, George Negus, Ernie Dingo, Shannon Noll, Neil Perry and Gyton Grantley.
A new social networking site called ‘Unfinished Oz’ will be central to the campaign—where people can register their support and place themselves on a map of Australia with a pixel of light.
Unfinished Oz users will be connected to other people on the map and the site will offer a range of ways for people to get involved in the reconciliation process.
The aim is to create an online peoples movement, connect all of the individual pixels of light and ultimately complete the map of Australia.
Reconciliation Australia Board Director Shelley Reys said while reconciliation has come a long way in this country, there’s still work to be done and we need to look at things from different perspectives.
“Reconciliation is about improving the relationships between the first Australians and other Australians so we can build a better future we can all share in,” Ms Reys said.
“That can only happen when we respect our differences, celebrate our diversity and defend what we have in common. And that’s what we’re asking all Australians to do so we can start seeing things with fresh eyes.”
David Nobay, Creative Chairman Droga5 agency, the man behind the campaign said, “Reconciliation is something that we all have a stake in and I think Jimmy Little's challenge at the end of the ad says it all: ‘Let's finish what we started’.”
“I’d like to say a huge thank you to Tim Gibbs and the guys at Resolution, The Editors and Nylon for acting on a simple idea and taking it somewhere special.”
The launch coincides with the 10th anniversary of the Bridge Walk for Reconciliation across Sydney Harbour Bridge where more than 300,000 people walked in support of Indigenous Australians and reconciliation. This was followed by walks in all other capital cities and many other towns—in total involving around a million people. The final walk took place in Melbourne in December 2000 and attracted another 300,000 people.
The website for Unfinished Oz will go live on Friday 28 May. www.unfinishedoz.com.au
Full talent list for the ‘Unfinished Oz’ campaign
Natalie Bassingthwaighte
Steve Bisley
Andrew Denton
Ernie Dingo
DJ GoodWill
Karla Grant
Gyton Grantley
Adam Goodes
John Howard (the actor)
Marcia Hines
Jimmy Little
Neil Perry
Margaret Pomeranz
Paul McDermott
George Negus
Shannon Noll
Mikey Robins
Wendell Sailor
Dan Sultan
Jack Thompson
Sigrid Thornton
Jonathan Thurston
Stan Walker
John Waters
Notes for Editors:
For more information about the 10th anniversary of the Bridge Walks for Reconciliation or National Reconciliation Week visit 10th Anniversary & NRW page
Media Contact: Kylie Thompson, 0418 633 277 or kylie.thompson@reconciliation.org.au
