Young woman exposes "hate" response to Origin's Welcome to Country
The young woman who delivered the Welcome to Country at the State of Origin has opened up on the "overwhelming" response to it, revealing how she has "received a lot of hate".
Savannah Fynn, 22, was invited to deliver the Welcome to Country and while it was generally well received, it also led to radio host Kyle Sandilands slamming the practice in general, saying the practice had become “overused and lost its impact”.
Since then, Fynn revealed that she has received an overwhelming amount of hate online, with some even jumping to criticise her appearance.
“I was just so worried I would stutter or mess up my words because I’d never spoken in front of that many people,” Fynn told Stellar.
“But once I finished, I felt a moment of relief. I ran straight over to my nan, obviously one of my Elders, and I gave her a big hug and a cuddle. It’s definitely an overwhelming feeling, getting all this attention. It’s not something I’m used to at all."
“I’m a very quiet person so this is a big change. Even though it’s all positive, I struggle with taking compliments and I get a bit shy. I’m kind of ready for it to die down!”
“As sad as it is, being a lighter skin colour, I’ve received a lot of hate for that,” the 22-year-old university student said.
“A lot of people have picked on the way I look, the way I speak, even coming down to having blonde hair. My hair is actually dark, I’ve just dyed it blonde."
“I think people also get very confused as to what an Acknowledgement and Welcome actually is. We’re not welcoming you to Australia; obviously you live here."
“We’re welcoming you to the traditional owners of that land and acknowledging the traditional land. And in terms of comments about overuse, I feel you have to respect everyone’s opinions, even if you may not agree."
“Being a First Nations person, I find it wonderful seeing my culture embraced. But obviously you can’t please everyone.”
Fynn is aiming to be a young role model and hopes to show “young Indigenous people that we can get up and speak”.
Image credits: Nine