Eddie Koiki Mabo Timeline

In May 2013, Vice Chancellor and President, Professor Sandra Harding, signed a commitment to the development of a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) to further support the JCU Reconciliation Statement. ​ JCU acquired Coming Together and Respecting Difference as part of its commitment to implement the Reconciliation Action Plan. The artwork represents JCU's story in an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander way:

• Circles in the middle depict JCU as a meeting place.
• Outer circles are JCU's links to communities through its students, who return home to share their new knowledge and understandings.
• Different patterns on the hands and arms are the differences between and within Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, and multicultural Australia. There are also similarities in the hands and arms used to illustrate us standing together for equity and equality.
• The ripple effect in the arms and hands represents out reconciliation journey; starting small, growing bigger, and reaching out to touch more and more lives. The effect gathers momentum to develop support and understandings. The circles represent the importance of yarning circles, meeting circles, and communities, in order that we can connect with each other.

In the process of developing the RAP, the University engaged with local Traditional Owners to ensure cultural protocols were met and to seek guidance in relation to respecting cultural beliefs and practices.