Day one of the three day Powershift event opened with a traditional Aboriginal chant being sung by Uncle Greg Simms to give thanks to the creators of the land and bless the land the event was standing on. In a moving performance, Uncle Simms held the audiences full attention and encouraged their participation through repeating his native words.
A number of significant individuals gave enlightening and encouraging addresses to the audience.
Some of our favourite quotes from day one are as follows:
“Students and young people have been at the forefront of social movements throughout history.. and now it is our time” Anna Rose – Co-founder AYCC
“Our country will never be more committed to social justice than we are. It’s up to us. We are the Powershift that we’ve been waiting for!” Amanada McKenzie – Co-founder AYCC
“I will not be one of those people who stood by and allowed this loss; simply because we couldn’t agree on the ‘why’ and fear was the currency of the day, I believe in more than that” Brooke Satchwell – Actress
“There will be a tsunami of political opinion surrounding green values reflected in political agendas to come” Nathan Rees – NSW Premier
“I’m informing you that it is not too late. We must encourage leaders from around the globe to speak on our behalf at the Copenhagen negotiations this December..” Al Gore – Former US Vice President
“We need to stop building dirty coal powered powerstations” Dr Mark Diesendorf
“I’ve always been fairly passionate about the environment, but I just dont know enough to feel that I can make a difference. This is why I’m at Powershift. So I can figure out what I can do help combat climate change” – Young Powershifter
To view the student filmed and edited video in full, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BSzDgsNikc
