Finding the Heart of the Nation - The Journey of the Uluru Statement towards Voice, Treaty and Truth

by Thomas Mayor, Thomas Mayo

'On 26 May 2017, a historic moment at Uluru gave this country hope. Those custodians came together, reached into their own hearts, and gifted us with a roadmap to find the heart of the nation - The Uluru Statement from the Heart. When you read this book, you will be feeling the pulse of this beautiful country, Australia. Finding the Heart of the Nation is a book full of stories about extraordinary people who will take you on an unforgettable journey to a place where we can start a new beginning. This book is a call to action that you will never forget.' – Thomas Mayor, 2019

This is a book for all Australians.

Since the Uluru Statement from the Heart was formed in 2017, Thomas Mayor has traveled around the country to promote its vision of a better future for Indigenous Australians. He’s visited communities big and small, often with the Uluru Statement canvas rolled up in a tube under his arm. Through the story of his own journey and interviews with 20 key people, Thomas taps into a deep sense of our shared humanity. The voices within these chapters make clear what the Uluru Statement is and why it is so important. And Thomas hopes you will be moved to join them, along with the growing movement of Australians who want to see substantive constitutional change. Thomas believes that we will only find the heart of our nation when the First peoples – the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders – are recognised with a representative Voice enshrined in the Australian Constitution.

About the Author

Thomas Mayor is a Torres Strait Islander man born on Larrakia country in Darwin. As an Islander growing up on the mainland, he learned to hunt traditional foods with his father and to island dance from the Darwin community of Torres Strait Islanders. In high school, Thomas's English teacher suggested he should become a writer. He didn't think then that he would become one of the first ever Torres Strait Islander authors to have a book published for the general trade. Instead, he became a wharf labourer from the age of seventeen, until he became a union official for the Maritime Union of Australia in his early thirties.

Quietly spoken in character, Thomas found his voice on the wharves. As he gained the skills of negotiation and organising in the union movement, he applied those skills to advancing the rights of Indigenous peoples, becoming a signatory to the Uluru Statement from the Heart and a tireless campaigner. Following the Uluru Convention, Thomas was entrusted to carry the sacred canvas of the Uluru Statement from the Heart. He then embarked on an eighteen-month journey around the country to garner support for a constitutionally enshrined First Nations voice, and a Makarrata Commission for truth-telling and agreement-making or treaties. Thomas's journey continues, both in person and through the pages of this book. The book is his gift to the campaign for Voice, Treaty and Truth. Like the Uluru Statement from the Heart, he hopes that all Australians will accept it.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Politics, Australia, Indigenous, Biography Memoir

264 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2019

About the author

Thomas Mayor is a Torres Strait Islander man born on Larrakia country in Darwin. As an Islander growing up on the mainland, he learned to hunt traditional foods with his father and to island dance from the Darwin community of Torres Strait Islanders. In high school, Thomas’s English teacher suggested he should become a writer. He didn’t think then that he would become one of the first ever Torres Strait Islander authors to have a book published for the general trade.

Instead, he became a wharf labourer from the age of seventeen, until he became a union official for the Maritime Union of Australia in his early thirties. Quietly spoken in character, Thomas found his voice on the wharves. As he gained the skills of negotiation and organising in the union movement, he applied those skills to advancing the rights of Indigenous peoples, becoming a signatory to the Uluru Statement from the Heart and a tireless campaigner.

Following the Uluru Convention, Thomas was entrusted to carry the sacred canvas of the Uluru Statement from the Heart. He then embarked on an eighteen-month journey around the country to garner support for a constitutionally enshrined First Nations voice, and a Makarrata Commission for truth-telling and agreement-making or treaties. Thomas’s journey continues, both in person and through the pages of this book. The book is his gift to the campaign for Voice, Treaty and Truth. Like the Uluru Statement from the Heart, he hopes that all Australians will accept it.

Reviews

[Michael Gamble · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted to understand more about the proposed indigenous voice to parliament from indigenous Australians. I learned about how the statement from the heart came to be, and what a voice would mean for many indigenous Australians. It was hard to read Thomas Mayor's interviews with indigenous Australians as he took the canvas across the country because there were so many stories of pain in their family histories but at the same time such resilience and hope for the future. Glad I read it.

[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book wonderful to read. Thomas interviews many people who are active within their indigenous communities. There stories are often heartbreaking and their strength comes through. It would be lovely to think many many would read this and gain an understanding about the Uluru statement and about the sorts of situations many indigenous people have had to deal with.
Lots of wonderful photos and the artwork by Shayla Mayor is beautiful. Thanks Thomas.

[Zoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful, moving memoir/series of interviews about Voice, Treaty and Truth all around Australia -- highly recommend this to all Australians to get prepared for the referendum!!

[Jim KABLE · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Heart Uncovered and Outlined

Thomas Mayor went in search - and found - Australia’s First Nation’s heart from Uluru the spiritual centre and place for the presentation of the Uluru Statement from the Heart - Voice, Treaty and Truth to representative communities of country and peoples all around Australia - the edges of that heart of nation and of the beating heart within. The stories the people tell of their families and struggles from the time of the invasion of 1788, the massacres and dispossession - theft of land, theft of children, missions and struggles and statements - freedom rides and war service, discrimination and The Referendum, Land Rights, ATSIC - John Howard and the NT Intervention, Deaths in Custody, children in gaols - the Apology - steps forward and pushback! The time has come for a Voice to the Parliament - a Treaty and the Truth to be taught. Thomas Ma6or writes with heart of the Heart. This is a call for us all - First Nations and non-First Nations Australians to come together and heal the dis-ease of our national heart not by symbolic changes but by making constitutional change to right the 230+ years of wrongs. One of my best reads in 2021 (even though published in 2019)!

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

The following are snippets after reading this book, which I think all Australians should read, or listen to or observe !
Australia needs to confront and understand past injustices of the Indigenous Australians so a fair and democratic society can be built.
The Uluru statement of the Heart is a powerful proposal to bring about truth, justice and peace.
Voice, Treaty, Truth.

Indigenous people want to be in roles to develop policies that will bring greater accountability to those who are not thriving in communities, to allow an Indigenous voice in matters that affect the ability to live a full healthy life (in the face of accelerating suicide and incarceration rates, the infectious disease epidemics and the despair amongst the poorest and least powerful Australians).
What is needed is a Constitutionally enshrined First Nations Voice - a commision authorised by a constitutional power to advise Parliament. A genuinely shared decision-making with governments at the local and regional level.

[Alastair Lawrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thomas Mayor skilfully presents the diverse stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people articulating what the Uluru Statement from the Heart means to them.
Through these accounts, he explains why each element - Voice, Treaty and Truth - is important, both individually and as a carefully crafted package of reform.
As a non-Indigenous Australian this book is a gift, to learn directly from First Nations people sharing their personal experiences (something too many of us grew up without), and to consider how each of us can contribute to essential, and long-overdue, constitutional change.
If the book has a flaw, it is perhaps the inclusion of Danny Glover's letter - while its point about solidarity is important, this account sits uneasily among the other chapters.
But that is a minor quibble, about a book that is full of beauty, inside and out (the artwork and photographs throughout are especially lovely).

[Rebecca Lang · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written book by Thomas. I wasn’t sure how I was going to go reading all the interviews, but each and every one drew me in and made me understand and appreciate so much more the of the First Nations people. Thank you all for sharing your stories.

[Deb Barnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thomas leads the reader to understand the importance of constutional reform, by giving a voice to many admirable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders to share their stories. The message is simple but inspiring and important.

[Tania · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it NOW.

[Ashley Salta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely incredible! Thomas Mayor tells the stories of inspiring Indigenous leaders throughout the country with passion and dedication. Every member of government should read this book and join the campaign to have First Nations people recognised constitutionally. It's time Australia.

[Katharine (Ventureadlaxre) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very important book that should become part of school curriculum and recommended reading.

[Olwen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't miss the chance to read this book about the development of the Uluru Statement - it's amazing, and I think the author will be someone to watch.

[Sandy Millin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finding the Heart of the Nation: The journey of the Uluṟu Statement towards Voice, Treaty and Truth by Thomas Mayor, is one of the most powerful books I've ever read.
The Uluṟu Statement was issued on 26 May 2017 as an invitation from First Nations Peoples (Aborigine and Torres Strait Islanders) to all Australians. It was the culmination of a series of twelve Dialogues across Australia, from which over 250 delegates were selected to attend the meeting in May 2017 to finalise the Statement.

You can find out much more about it on the dedicated website, including educational materials and translations into a huge range of different languages.

Finding the Heart of the Nation introduces and explains the Uluṟu Statement, and shares the voices of 21 different First Nations people, including Thomas, and through them the stories of many more. It shows the extent to which colonisation and subsequent government policies have impacted on the people, the land and their culture over time, not just in the distant past, but right now. This includes policies which are still in place as I write this in 2022, and ones which have been brought in as recently as since 2000. This demonstrates why a First Nations Voice enshrined in the Australian Constitution is so necessary, and is a tiny part of the truth-telling which the Statement demands: showing what has really happened.

I bought the book during my recent trip to Australia because I wanted to learn more about First Nations culture and people. Growing up, I had heard Dreamtime stories told by both indigenous and non-indegenous storytellers, and I now know that Dreamtime is not the best term, but rather Dreamings. I had done an art project at school where we had to produce a piece of art in 'an Aborigine style' which I understood to be made of dots. Through my trip and this book, I understand that First Nations culture is so much richer and deeper than this. Of course it is: it goes back over 60,000 years.

Dancing, storytelling, and visual arts are the way that history, law, ethics and knowledge about the landscape are passed on. Every element has a meaning, which can only be understand if culture is allowed to be shared and passed on without interference. There are trustees of particular stories and dances (Songlines) who are responsible for maintaining them and passing them onto the next generation. This rich and peaceful culture cannot be lost because of the way that First Nations people have been treated and mistreated: too much of it already has been.

If you've read this far, you might think that the book is depressing, but it's not. It's a story of hope, resilience, and human ingenuity. It tells stories of tireless campaigners, pushing back against what has been done to them, with the aiming of making life better for the generations to come. Often this has been done in isolation, with small communities fighting locally to get better conditions. There have been national movements in the past, such as towards the referendum in 1967 which changed the Constitution to count First Nations people as part of the Australian population. However, the Constitution still allows race-based discrimination (in 2022!), which is why changes still need to be made.

I chose the hardback copy of the book, which is full of beautiful photographs and illustrations, showing the diversity of people and Country affected by the Statement. If you have a choice, I would recommend this copy, as it brings everything to life.

The book changed my perceptions of what it means to be First Nations in Australia. It gave me an insight into both the struggles and the triumphs that these communities have experienced, and the importance of joining together to fight for progress. It made me reconsider how I feel about trade unions, and made me understand better how they can work and why they are important.

I would urge anybody with an interest in Australia to read this book, and anybody in Australia to support the Uluṟu Statement and the referendum that I hope will come one day. I would urge everybody to find out more about First Nations culture, and to consider what non-indigenous cultures can learn from indigenous cultures all over the world.

[Dawn Tessman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nonfiction book that educates readers about Australia’s Indigenous Peoples’ political movement to have a First Nations Voice included in the Constitution. While I enjoyed reading the personal backgrounds of those interviewed and learning of their life experiences (both tragic and tender memories of family, home, and tradition), I was disappointed that the book did not provide an historical context for those unfamiliar with Australia’s past. The author states that he wants readers to be both “inspired and informed,” yet there is a lot of detail left out his book that would otherwise help readers gain a full understanding of the situation and the driving force behind the movement and thus garner support. Furthermore, the book could have benefited from better editing. Apart from a handful of spelling errors, the beginning is disjointed, jumping immediately into the Uluru Statement without any explanation, and the point of view changes in some chapters near the end of the book, which makes for a confusing read (e.g., throughout the book, the chapters are written from the perspective of the author, but in 3-4 chapters near the end of the book, the author inserts letters from Danny Glover and others without identifying them as such). All in all, I appreciate the author’s attempt to shine a light on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People’s cause, but suspect there may be better books or documentaries available on the subject. Either way, I definitely recommend reading up on the Indigenous People of Australia before taking on this topic.

[Jenny Esots · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life has many convergences, when places, events and people coincide.
This year I attended the Adelaide Writers' Week (which I go to every year without fail) and listened to a discussion by author Thomas Mayor.
He spoke and writes eloquently from his heart about recognition and rights for the indigenous.
I have been looking at his book ‘Finding the Heart of a Nation’ which is not only meaningful but a beautifully produced volume.
One of the key concepts of the Uluru Statement of the Heart spoken is Makarrata ‘the coming together after a struggle’.
This coming together is a huge message that is sorely needed right now, as the world is being ripped apart by racial tensions and political infighting.
When I have mentioned the Uuru Statement from the Heart to people I have been dismayed that many are not aware of the Uluru statement or its guiding principles.
This book raises the levels of consciousness on indigenous people and getting a representative voice enshrined in the Australian Constitution.
There is a gradual coming together happening in Australia and it starts with raising awareness of the past two centuries of struggle for the indigenous peoples.
There is so much we can all learn about 60,000 years of indiginous people's stories and culture.
I feel like my own level of understanding is only really beginning.
Thank you Thomas Mayor and Co.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was a Judge for the 2020 Indie Book Awards. The review submitted as part of this process is below. A word limit was adhered to.

In Finding the Heart of the Nation, Mayor's mission is to promote the Uluru Statement from the Heart. This statement, formed in 2017, calls for a First Nations voice to be enshrined in the constitution of Australia. Mayor travels around the country to interview people from different communities about what the statement means to them. Throughout all the stories is an underlying message that for anything to change we need to not just say we understand but to stop and actively listen. As you read the different stories in the book you will see exactly why a First Nations voice is so important. It will take a referendum to put the Uluru Statement of the Heart in place, but I challenge anyone to read this book and not see the value of it.

The book is also visually stunning. With a raised Uluru forming part of a striking cover and end pages by Shayla Mayor it shows the spirit of the content contained within its pages. Photographs throughout give us a tiny glimpse into the communities Mayor visits and gives faces to the people who are fighting for a voice to be heard.

[Chris Sharp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating it 5 stars as a live political document with some urgency.

It's not the whole story, but doesn't purport to be. It didn't deliver on what I thought it was going to (i.e., details on what actual shape Voice, Treaty, Truth would take) but instead wove together the personal stories of diverse Traditional Owners and First Nations community leaders into a unified fabric as much a part of the Uluru Statement as the canvas it was painted on.

In this way, its more a story of how people came to support the Statement, rather than an exploration of how the Statement will be delivered.

As published in 2019, it is relatively light on detail regarding those Regional Dialogue and Convention delegates who walked out or have since expressed concern about the process of creating the Statement (this becoming more of a public issue following, amongst other things, the 2020 walking back of the Australian Greens' unconditional support for the full Statement in sequence).

I still think it speaks with authority and with heart, and ought to be read by every voting Australian in the lead up to a likely Constitutional Referendum in the coming years.

[Rhoda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a visually beautiful book with stunning photographs and artwork set amongst the stories of 19 different First Nations People from around the country. All were part of or supporters of the local dialogues and subsequent gathering at Uluru where the Uluru Statement from the Heart was determined and agreed upon by 250 of the 257 delegates.

Each person tells an amazing story, many of which have overcome true adversity and each convey what having a Voice would mean to them, their communities and their futures.

It was really interesting to read this book now as it highlights the background of the people involved, the process it took and most importantly, the WHY.

The author has done an amazing job of relaying these stories with respect and sensitivity, and each one is truly unique. If you also agree it’s time to listen and learn I encourage you to get hold of this book as it really has so much to offer. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5.

[Emmaby Barton Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

what a powerful book. a bit late to reading this given the referendum was last year but still gained so much from reading this - both into first nations culture/history, as well as the process of getting to the point of the voice/how the uluru statement came to be and just how much work went into this. it also made the fact the voice failed all the more heartbreaking/maddening. i am so sad and angry still at how so-called australia voted. really excited to read Always Was, Always Will Be: The Campaign for Justice and Recognition Continues when it comes out in september

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hope this becomes a very important “must read” for every voting Australian (and anyone else too) as we draw closer to the referendum voting in 2023.
I learned so much, many queries and limits in my understanding became clearer.
I hope.so hope, that change comes with the referendum result. I so hope for the heart of the people of this land to be touched and opened. And I hope for real action that comes from the change as this country faces our true coloniser history with courage and honesty and respect so the whole nation can begin healing

[Kate Millin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Uluru statement for the heart was created in 2017. It is a joint statement from the First Nation peoples - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders- to the people and politicians of Australia that they should have a representative Voice enshrined in the Australian constitution. It is a series of interviews with key people telling the stories of how they, and their ancestor have been treated by colonialists and their dreams for the future. It was a distressing and also an uplifting book. I really hope the referendum vote in October 2023 gives them what they ask for.

[Jenny Kirkby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great overview of the Uluru Statement, how it came about and what it hopes to achieve. Through a series of interviews with some of the individuals involved in the creation of the statement the reader learns a bit about Indigenous culture, about the what the Indigenous experience as Australians has been and is, and their hopes for the future. Makarrata - Voice, Treaty and Truth - will hopefully become words and concepts familiar to all Australians.

[Tito Quiling, Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a moving book, and I regret that I didn't read this before the referendum came out a few months ago in Australia. I loved reading the personal histories of the Elders in many Australian states whose indigenous cultures have thrived for thousands of years before the land was settled. This puts more light into the politics and social systems put in by modern society, and how Aboriginal Australians continue to face racism, abuse, discrimination, and economic instability.

[Rob Lloyd-jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great introduction covering the struggles of aboriginal and torres strait Island people in Australia. Brings life to these issues through stories and real life encounters that adds weight to the argument of establishing a voice in the constitution. Additional work needed on the mechanisms of how this would work but nevertheless this is a good piece of work to get to the heart of the issue.

[Wendy Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 1/2 stars. An absorbing and informative read. The individual stories were moving and enlightening and the book's author was a passionate and articulate advocate for the Uluru Statement, the Voice and the upcoming referendum.

[Matias]

Thomas Mayor, inspiring man. Important message, journey.

I don't get through all the community stories, wishing this movement all the best with getting recognition of voice.

[Carmel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Please read this book 🙏🏼

[Emma Salkild · Rating 4 out of 5]

An important book that every Australian should read

[Kerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every Australian should read this.

[Le · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book every Australian should read. There are many voices on this topic, and these are only some of them. But the stories here should be heard by all Australians.