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	June 2003
		Exploring God's Own Country? by Ann Martin
			Is anything positive to be gained by Anglicans' studying the role played by the Anglican church in the ultimate fate of full-blooded Tasmanian Aborigines? Does such a study assist us in our quest for reconciliation with the Tasmanian Aboriginal community of today? James Boyce thought so when he wrote his book God's Own Country? The Anglican Church and the Tasmanian Aboriginal Community; Bishop John Harrower thought so when he wrote the foreword to that book; and the Reverend Alister Palmer thought so when he wrote a study guide based on the book. And it was the question raised in the Parish of Channel and Cygnet when we considered a Lenten Study for 2003. Revelations, thoughts and reflections Not everyone agrees that is is helpful to look at past mistakes, failures and unjustices. The acceptance that others can share our faith but not necessarily our point of view, is part of our growth as Christians. A group of parishioners in Channel-Cygnet, however, did decide that this was a study that we wanted to do. Together with our Enabler, the Reverend James Collins, we met on Monday nights during Lent to explore issues which were challenging, thought-provoking and not always comfortable. The history of the Tasmanian Aboriginal people has been published in various sources, and the role of the Anglican church in that history is set out in Boyce's book. I would like to share some of the revelations, thoughts and reflections which were raised within our group as we undertook the study. There were no easy answers The format of each of the six sessions was that members of the group should read a section of Boyce's book. We would meet to discuss what we had read, discuss the questions raised, and possibly decide on some kind of action. There was also time for Biblical reflection and prayer. We researched the story of our parish, and the story of the local Aboriginal people. We examined the historical relationhship between the Anglican Church and all Tasmanian Aboriginal people, and discussed the changing stance of the church in the Black War of the 1820s. Land grabs, government policies, social Darwinism, missionary societies, and Aboriginal Christians who lived faithfully: all these were discussed at length. Many questions were raised - there were no easy answers! Spirit of reconciliation As I have said, this was not an easy study, but despite the shame, anger, sometimes even shock that we felt, there was also hope and our parish is now prayerfuly looking at ways to make a gesture of friendship to our local Aboriginal community: to acknowledge past mistakes and find unity in a spirit of reconciliation.