The Bird in Hand Foundation was created in 2014 with the aim of giving back to the community. Since then, we have been proud to support several great initiatives with a focus on helping young creatives realise their dreams through the arts and education and actively advocating indigenous and gender equality.
One of our key efforts is funding private school education for disadvantaged children, providing them with valuable opportunities for growth and success. Our Foundation also proudly hosts the KickStart for Kids Annual Christmas Party, bringing joy to children in need during the festive season.
Additionally, the Foundation supported the local Adelaide Hills community in the wake of the Cudlee Creek bushfires by donating all proceeds from the local CRUSH Festival in 2020 which raised over $63,000. The funds were donated equally between the Onkaparinga CFS group and Adelaide Hills Wine Region Bushfire appeal.
Bird in Hand supports the Uluru Statement. The three key elements to the reforms include the Constitutional Change, the Legislative Change and the Makarrata Commission.
We acknowledge that we exist on the Lands of the Peramangk, Paredarerme, Ngarrindjeri, Nipaluna and Kanamaluka Peoples, the Traditional Custodians of the Land upon which we are situated. We recognise that First Nations Peoples maintain an enduring connection with this Country. Their deep cultural heritage and ongoing efforts to preserve and nurture Country should never be forgotten nor significance diminished.
We pay tribute to First Nations Peoples for their stewardship of these Lands, and we honour the traditions, stories and spiritual connections that have been passed down through thousands of generations. Each of these groups have unique and preserving cultures and histories that share the commonality of depth of connection and strength in Community.
As a winery, we hold deep reverence for the Land and its ability to have sustained and nourished Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples for thousands of years. We understand the profound cultural, historical and social significance this Land holds.
We acknowledge the painful impact of colonisation and the ongoing challenges faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We stand in solidarity with all First Nations Communities across Australia in their journey towards self-determination, cultural revitalisation and social justice.
We encourage all readers of this Reconciliation Action Plan to join us in recognising the fundamental truths of the place we now call Australia.
I am proud of our team for showing leadership within the wine industry. As a group we are committed to doing everything possible to help the reconciliation process.
In my view our First Nation friends have offered a beautiful, peaceful, and practical way to unite Australia and correct as much as possible, the injustice of the past.
Bird in Hand fully supports the Uluru Statement from the Heart and its core tenets of Voice, Treaty and Truth.
I feel that First Nations culture must sit at the pinnacle of Australian identity. The 65 000 years plus of continuous cultures (the longest in the world by an extraordinary amount) is a national and international treasure that has somehow largely been overlooked.
As an Australian of European decent, I feel if we can move forward into reconciliation overcoming our fear of blame or recrimination and confront the facts of our past it will help First Nation Australians in ways only they can possibly understand.
It will also immensely benefit non-Indigenous Australians and allow us to live in a united, progressive, mature, honest and empathetic Country that can demonstrate leadership on issues of fairness and equality.
We farm on Peramangk, Paredareme and Ngarrindjeri Land and acknowledge this Land Always Was and Always Will Be, First Nations Land. It was never ceded, and our history has been built on the disinformation of ‘terra nullius’.
As I have aged, it has become much clearer to me how much we have to learn about Country from First Nations Peoples. If we can change our perception of time to match that of our First Nations friends, it leads to sustainable land management and vastly improved environmental outcomes.
I personally feel guilt as a European Australian. Guilt that the education I received on Australian history was distorted and, in many instances, objectively incorrect, as were my own views of First Nations Peoples. They were systemic views that whilst still present in our society, are thankfully receding.
I personally have found First Nations cultures to be incredibly resilient and forgiving.
I do not believe we should feel in anyway threatened by reconciliation and the Voice, Treaty and Truth path of the Uluru Statement.
There will be many uncomfortable moments that provide us the opportunity to grow.
I am personally committed to this process as are the wonderful group of people who together make up Bird in Hand Winery. We will lend as much support as required and be led by First Nations Australians until reconciliation and equality are achieved. I am grateful for the precious opportunity that has been generously provided to grow and unite all.
