As Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was making the national pitch to voters to get behind the Yes campaign for the Voice referendum at the Garma festival in the Northern Territory, around 100 people gathered at North Beach for a very Wollongong approach to political change.
Co-organised by Sarah Tedder, the Sunday morning sit in and swim out attracted Voice supporters and those on the fence and those who went into the 18 degree waters were energised to talk to family, friends and neighbours about the need for constitutional change.
"By swimming and doing something that might be slightly uncomfortable it energises us in our own lives so that we can take action and to achieve a Voice to parliament," Ms Tedder said.
The Port Kembla mum said she had previous felt helpless about contributing to self determination for FIrst Nations people, but following the Uluru Statement from The Heart was motivated to do what she could in her community to achieve the objectives set out in the invitation from First Nations Australians to the rest of Australia to walk together to build a better future.
"It was really clear to me that was what First Nations people were asking for, and if that's what they were asking for, that's what I wanted to make happen," Ms Tedder said.
After the launch of the Wollongong Yes 23 campaign, Ms Tedder was joined by co-organisers Amanda Strudwick, Jess Holz to put together an accessible forum for those that might not be able to attend a lecture at UOW or commit to doorknocking with young children.
This launched the sit in/swim out, where attendees on Sunday, August 6 heard from Jaymee Beveridge and Catherine Moyle from the Woolyungah Indigenous Centre and Yes 23 campaigner Daniel Bourke.
Ms Tedder said even those who didn't brave the waves were coming away feeling energised to take the conversations they had on the beach to a wider audience.
"It's the individual conversations and relationships that we have, in our own lives, that can change hearts and minds."
Swim out/sit ins are planned for the first Sunday of each month for the next two months.
Our news app has had a makeover, making it faster and giving you access to even more great content. Download The Illawarra Mercury news app in the Apple Store and Google Play.
