When I was a little girl, I remember hiding under the bed so I wouldn’t be taken from my mum. You wouldn’t know how terrifying that was for a kid, even now.
I grew up in an Australia where being Aboriginal was frankly unfair and cruel. Many of my childhood memories have stayed with me through my life. I remember how lucky I felt to be scouted at a young age.
And I have never forgotten this simple thought: if the 1967 referendum had happened three years later, I wouldn’t have been able to leave Australia without permission; maybe I wouldn’t have won Wimbledon.
But the ’67 referendum did happen. We did it then, let’s do it again. I’ve been on this journey of constitutional recognition for a long time and this is the last chance of my lifetime. I know how far our country has come, together. I know we can take the next step, together.
This referendum is a straightforward request from Aboriginal people: to be recognised and listened to on issues that affect our lives.
That’s what you can say Yes to on October 14. Yes to recognition, Yes to listening and Yes to giving Australia our best chance yet to close the gap. That is why I am committed to running my education program for Indigenous kids, because I want to see the gap close. My program is all about keeping kids in school and helping them to lead healthy lives. I know only too well what it means to be on the wrong side of that gap.
Three members of my own family have passed away prematurely, robbed of years of life by preventable heart conditions. That has been the past, and it is the cruel reality of the present – but on October 14 we have the opportunity to make sure it isn’t the future.
Of course, there are some who want to try to make you think this referendum is about a whole lot of other unrelated stuff. Twisting this request from Aboriginal people into something it isn’t.
All this noise and nonsense is designed to frighten people into saying No. We saw the same thing done in the past with Mabo and with the apology. But history proved them wrong. Every single time they have cast shadows, the bright Australian sunshine has proved stronger.
So I’m asking you to keep your eye on the ball and to focus on what really matters.
Through all my years of competitive tennis, something I carried in my heart every time I stepped out on to the court was the knowledge that my success depended on my willingness to listen to others.
For Aboriginal people, knowledge is traditionally passed down by our elders, so I listened to those who knew better than me and, most important, knew how to make me better. That’s how I was able to get to the absolute top of my game.
And that’s something we can all do together on October 14.
We can commit to listening. We can say Yes to governments finally listening to the people and communities who can make us all better.
That’s how we’ll all get to the top of our game as a nation.
There’s nothing for Australia to fear from recognising and celebrating 65,000 years of shared history and there’s nothing to lose from giving the next generation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children the chance to fulfil their potential.
There is so much to gain.
At the start of my career I had so much support from my home town of Barellan in NSW, and that has given me so much heart along the way. I’ve been greatly inspired by the thousands of people in my community and across the country who are coming together to say Yes.
I believe in the simple goodness of every Australian heart. In particular I say to Australians from my generation, the people who gave me such wonderful and warm support on the biggest stage: stand with me now to help Australia grab this great opportunity.
You’ve cheered for me. Now, please, vote with me: vote Yes.
Evonne Goolagong Cawley AC MBE
Noosa resident, former tennis world number one, Wiradjuri woman
(This piece was first published in The Australian newspaper.)
