'We survived': Uncle Peter pauses to reflect on sacred Sandon Point site

It's exactly how the Elder wanted to spend January 26, at a respectful gathering on sacred land at Sandon Point, welcoming anyone who wished to connect and reflect.

While some call it Invasion Day, and others call it Australia Day, Uncle Peter marks it as Survival Day, with more than 100 people turning out to the Kuradji Sandon Point Tent Embassy event.

To him, the day is about reconciliation, healing and moving forward as one.

"I'd rather put a positive spin on it ... in the spirit of reconciliation," Uncle Peter said.

"We survived all the atrocities and here we are today. It's about saying look at us, we survived.

"Let's work together and move forward and see what we can do."

The day began with a smoking ceremony, before tales were shared to the crowd who perched up at the headland as the clouds rolled in for the afternoon.

The site holds enormous significance in the Illawarra, Uncle Peter said, as he shared the story of Kuradji, an Aboriginal 'clever fella', whose skeletal remains were believed to be 6000 years old when discovered during the devastating 1998 floods.

This prompted the establishment of the Sandon Point Tent Embassy in 2000 to protest against planned development at the site.

"In the year 2000, when the Olympic Games was on, the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra walked the sacred fire from Canberra to Victoria Park in Sydney," Uncle Peter said.

"At the same time, Wollongong City Council passed the DA to develop Sandon Point.

"We went to Victoria Park to walk the sacred fire down to McCauley's Beach. We declared it the Sandon Point Aboriginal Tent Embassy, with the sacred fire.

"We kept the fire alive there for four years."

Uncle Peter also reflected on the prominent Aboriginal leader and Yuin man, Guboo Ted Thomas, who visited the site on several occasions, even in his 90s.

Uncle Guboo took part in a protest at Sandon Point in February 2002, rallying against the developments threatening the site, clapping two sticks together as he sat in his wheelchair.