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ABC News
4 days ago
- General
- ABC News
The poppy and the pea: A 1,000 voices perform in Parliament House to mark Reconciliation Day
Skip to main content 11m ago 11 minutes ago Sat 31 May 2025 at 12:50am The Anthem of the Desert Pea echoed through the halls of parliament, sung by 1,000 strong voices determined for change.
ABC News
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- ABC News
The poppy and the pea: 1,000 voices perform in Parliament House to mark Reconciliation Day
Dressed all in black with two big red flowers pinned to her chest, 11-year-old Larnisha has travelled all the way from the Northern Territory to have her voice heard in the nation's halls of power. However, the Western Arrernte girl has not come to the grand hall of Canberra's Parliament House to give a speech, but to sing. She's one of 1,000 singers from around Australia who gathered to sing the Anthem of the Desert Pea — a ballad about the Frontier wars, death and new life. Larnisha is singing to commemorate those who lost their lives during colonisation. Florist and 1,000 Voices liaison officer Hazel Davis, with the help of the Arrernte people from the Northern Territory, has committed a decade to understanding the story of the desert pea. The desert pea is a flowering plant that grows in the centre of Australia, from far west New South Wales, into South Australia and Queensland, and across into Western Australia. Ms Davies said the desert pea was a symbol of remembrance for people who have died on country, similar to the story of the Flanders poppy. "The ancestors in the sky [witness the Frontier Wars] … they weep so much that their tears flood the land … the water flows over the bodies of the Aboriginal people," she said. Ms Davies said the desert pea sprouted from where the bodies lay. "It's a flower of sorrow … it is not a replacement flower, it does not negate our powerful, rightful memorial of those who died for our country overseas. It's calling for a memorial on our own soil," she said. Shirleen McLaughlin was told the story of the desert pea by her grandmother in the next step of an oral history stretching generations. She was pleased the story had now been written down in a book to be recorded forever: 'The Legend of the Desert Pea' by Arrernte Elder Beverley O'Callaghan. That book inspired the anthem and Ms McLaughlin, representing the Arrente people, read it to the audience. "We need truth-telling and then we'll all be set free. "I hope they acknowledge and change the future." This year's theme for Reconciliation Day is "Now more than ever" and, as the singers take their places on stage, there's an undercurrent of hope that Australia's history will be remembered in its entirety. Wangkangurru Elder Uncle Raymond Finn, who travelled from the Simpson Desert, said the story of the pea helped him understand who he was. He has lost family members both on country and for country, and said the performance in parliament filled him with hope. "To see the children today touched my heart, and I know that we're moving forward as a nation with the poppy and the pea," he said. Standing by Larnisha is her close friend Adelaide Page from the NSW Central Coast. The pair first met when the Ozy Youth Choir headed to the Northern Territory to learn about the desert pea. Adelaide is also 11 and she's a "poppy" child. Her father was deployed to Iraq in 2007 and Afghanistan in 2009. She may be young, but she hopes singing her heart out in the halls of parliament will pave the way for a better future.
