Dressed all in black with two big red flowers pinned to her chest, 11-year-old Larnisha has travelled all the way from the Northern Territory to have her voice heard in the nation’s halls of power. However, the Eastern Arrernte girl has not come to the grand hall of Canberra’s Parliament House to give a speech, but to sing. She’s one of 1,000 singers from around Australia who gathered to sing the Anthem of the Desert Pea — a ballad about the Frontier wars, death and new life. Larnisha sang to commemorate those who lost their lives during colonisation. For Indigenous Australians, the desert pea is a symbol similar to the Flanders poppy. Florist and 1,000 Voices liaison officer Hazel Davis, with the help of the Arrernte people from the Northern Territory, has committed a decade to understanding the story of the desert pea. Hazel has spent the past decade learning the story of the desert pea and its place in Indigenous history.
The desert pea is a flowering plant that grows in the centre of Australia, from far west New South Wales, into South Australia and Queensland, and across into Western Australia. Ms Davies said the desert pea was a symbol of remembrance for people who have died on country, similar to the story of the Flanders poppy. Indigenous Australians are hopeful the federal government will progress a national truth telling process, despite the PM backing down from the commitment to create a national commission. “The ancestors in the sky [witness the Frontier Wars] … they weep so much that their tears flood the land … the water flows over the bodies of the Aboriginal people,” she said. Ms Davies said the desert pea sprouted from where the bodies lay. “It’s a flower of sorrow … it is not a replacement flower, it does not negate our powerful, rightful memorial of those who died for our country overseas. It’s calling for a memorial on our own soil,” she said.
“It’s time to talk about the uncomfortable parts of our combined history.” Shirleen McLaughlin was told the story of the desert pea by her grandmother in the next step of an oral history stretching generations. She was pleased the story had now been written down in a book to be recorded forever: ‘The Legend of the Desert Pea’ by Arrernte Elder Beverley O’Callaghan. Singers came from around Australia to perform in Parliament House. That book inspired the anthem, composed by OZY Youth Choir co-founder OJ Rushton and Ms Davis. Ms McLaughlin, representing the Arrente people, read it to the audience at Parliament House. “It was good to see and feel the reality of what really did go on,” she said. “We need truth-telling and then we’ll all be set free. “I hope they acknowledge and change the future.” This year’s theme for Reconciliation Day is “Now more than ever” and, as the singers take their places on stage, there’s an undercurrent of hope that Australia’s history will be remembered in its entirety.
Wangkangurru Elder Uncle Raymond Finn, who travelled from the Simpson Desert, said the story of the pea helped him understand who he was. He says sharing stories is an important part of healing. “The pea story came about, it made me strong, energised me and made me who I am today,” he said. He has lost family members both on country and for country, and said the performance in parliament filled him with hope. “To see the children today touched my heart, and I know that we’re moving forward as a nation with the poppy and the pea,” he said. Standing by Larnisha is her close friend Adelaide Page from the NSW Central Coast. The pair first met when the Ozy Youth Choir headed to the Northern Territory to learn about the desert pea. Adelaide and Larnisha’s friendship blossomed when they met on country in 2023. Adelaide is also 11 and she’s a “poppy” child. Her father was deployed to Iraq in 2007 and Afghanistan in 2009. She may be young, but she hopes singing her heart out in the halls of parliament will pave the way for a better future.
Source: Compiled by APN from media reports
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