By Michael Williams, James Cox & Benjamin Fonseca

Reconciliation is about unity and respect between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and non- Indigenous Australians. It is about respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage and valuing justice and equity for all Australians. During the time of the novel there were still great conflictions with aboriginality among Australia.

It was a time where the culture and people were still outcast and reconciliation was thought to only begin throughout Australia after the referendum in The views of the aboriginals during the time were quite stereotypical. They were shun upon, invisible to the white eye and showed no significance to the everyday life. They were given nothing and stripped off everything, such as their children, beliefs and tradition. Aboriginals were counted as flora in the national census. This referred to them as animals of nature. A fair amount of the population accepted this however there were numerous groups whom fought against this.

After World War I and II large numbers of reserves are revoked throughout Australia for provision of “Soldier settlers” blocks for ex-servicemen. It was still believed that Aboriginal people were a “dying race” and thus would not require any land. Australians were so self-immersed in their own culture that they didn’t see the harm or affect in the aboriginals culture fading away and thought that it was the only way for it all to work. Tim Winton’s view is largely portrayed in his novel Cloudstreet and presents upon a message of reconciliation.

Winton says he is interested in “faith, without religiosity, that pompousness that comes with the Church…I’m interested in the kind of people who want to understand the meaning of their lives”. In an interview, Winton states that the Australian population needed to ‘re-develop their spiritual side’. Winton later states that to do this, they need to learn through Aboriginal Australians.

Winton has been quoted in saying that his attitude towards coming back to your home is a very important idea in his novels, some of novels include Cloudstreet, The Riders and Blueback. This is mostly represented through in-novel characters moving away from home, only to reconcile with their original home.

Winton uses this style of writing as a result of travelling around the world at a young age, only to return to his native Western Australia. Some of these countries include Ireland, Paris and Greece.

Winton displays a nostalgia attitude associated with homecoming that is very significant to the theme. Lester and Oriel’s relationship and reconciliation with God - they were charismatic believers but lost their faith when Fish’s miraculous recovery is rejected by their church in Margaret River. Within these two characters God has built up over a long period of time (20 years). During this time, although full of testing, scary, discomforting periods, more good comes than bad and they become stronger, better people.

Usually one looks towards God to reconcile for the bad things they have done however because Oriel and Lester blame God for Fish’s accident it seems the other way around. Without having a determined moment where they reconcile with God, their confidence and belief in him grows and the whole 20 years of which they live in Cloudstreet could be considered as a time of reconciliation for both of them.

s-Themes-Cloudstreet.html Tim Winton: 'I Got a Jump on My Generation.'. Michelle Field. Publishers Weekly. (May 29, 1995): p Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism. Vol Detroit: Gale. Word Count: From Literature Resource Centre. The Tim Winton Interviews Clickview history-timeline