With the announcement of the date for The Voice referendum imminent, Wagga Yes campaigners are getting busy.
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Riverina for Yes have announced a number of upcoming events the hope will attract attention and support for the proposed statement of recognition, and provision for The Voice to Parliament.
The first of these is the former Liberal MP and ultra marathoner Pat Farmer's 14,400km Run for The Voice, which will pass through Wagga on Friday.
Mr Farmer will stop at Bolton Park's Geoff Lawson Oval at 4.30pm to discuss the proposal, and meet members of the community.
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Riverina for Yes representative Peita Vincent said Mr Farmer's visit was an opportunity for people to discuss the proposal in a non-partisan way.
"When you see the photos on his socials, there's lots of other people running, so we're trying to engage local running communities and encourage them to sign up and register to run with him on his website," she said.
"I love that Pat Farmer is a former Liberal Party politician, but he's going against the party on this one.
"It shows a great love for our country, I mean it's gruelling. Although, he's an ultra marathoner, so maybe he likes it gruelling."
![Yes23 Team Leaders Peita Vincent and Nick Spragg will welcome Michael Long and Pat Farmer as they arrive in Wagga on foot in early September. Picture by Madeline Begley Yes23 Team Leaders Peita Vincent and Nick Spragg will welcome Michael Long and Pat Farmer as they arrive in Wagga on foot in early September. Picture by Madeline Begley](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/200569959/2d0bcf37-18b8-4903-a78c-207165d98637.jpg/r0_355_4696_2995_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The following Friday, September 8, former AFL star and Aboriginal rights campaigner Michael Long will stop in Wagga for a community event at 4pm and townhall at the CSU Riverina Playhouse.
Mr Long is walking from Melbourne to Canberra, following the footsteps he left on the road on his first "Long Walk" in 2004.
While these two events are aimed at generating public discourse, local yes campaign leaders - which include Ms Vincent, Nick Spragg, and Indigenous elders Aunty Mary Atkinson and Uncle Hewitt Whyman - say the most important discussions are happening in family homes.
To date, the campaign has recruited about 80 volunteers, and is holding regular meetings and door-knocking campaigns in Wagga.
![Indigenous elders Aunty Mary Atkinson and Uncle Hewitt Whyman will join Pieta Vincent and Nick Spragg in leading the local yes campaign. Indigenous elders Aunty Mary Atkinson and Uncle Hewitt Whyman will join Pieta Vincent and Nick Spragg in leading the local yes campaign.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/200569959/1e6722e1-bc3a-4555-b841-4a943918f786.jpg/r0_0_1920_1079_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"The vibe is really positive. No matter how people are voting, they're taking our approaches really well," Mr Spragg said.
"People don't really know what the details are, and I think over the course of the campaign that will become apparent, and apparent for why it's necessary for people to vote yes.
"There are a lot of soft nos, and we've been able to engage them and say all those things it's not going to do - the High Court, the Parliament's not going to stop."
While there is widespread recognition in both the yes and no camps the discussion should be led by Indigenous Australians, Ms Vincent said there is an important role for white allies to play as well.
She said it was incumbent on people - particularly younger people - to take an active role in politics, not just show up to vote.
"Young people are polling as being supportive of the voice, and they have a role to play in talking to their parents, and talking to their grandparents about why it matters to them," she said.
"I think if older people, and the people who are sitting on the fence from loved ones about why it matters to them, that will gain some traction."
Mr Spragg said older Australians, who are less likely to support The Voice to Parliament, should consider the advantages they've had over their Aboriginal peers when deciding how to vote.
He said he's never taken such an active role in politics before, but he sees the campaign as vital to the future of the country.
"I feel as a 53-year-old white male, in the 100-metre race of life, I started 70 metres ahead of our fellow Indigenous Australians," he said
"They've reached a hand out to ask for help. We need to reach down and pull them up to our level, and stop worrying about it being a zero sum game. Life is not a zero sum game, and this is a win-win for the country.
"I urge those my age and above to open their hearts, open their minds, and vote yes."
A calendar of local events can be found on the Riverina for Yes website.
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