There will be echoes of 1967 in Parliament House on Wednesday when both sides of politics pass legislation that will give momentum to the push to recognise the first Australians in the nation's founding document.
Shirley Peisley was 26 when she pinned badges on the lapels of politicians in support of modest but hugely symbolic constitutional change. On Wednesday she will watch as a new indigenous generation does the same in support of something more ambitious.
Back then, Ms Peisley was a woman in awe, inspired by the leadership and example of Lowitja O'Donoghue, who organised her trip from Adelaide to a planning meeting for the 1967 referendum campaign. Like most of the activists, they stayed at Brassey Hotel, then called Brassey Hostel. ''Anyone who had a room - and some of us did - would have swags all over the floor,'' Professor O'Donoghue recalls. ''The dining room was full of people who weren't guests. It was amazing how they put up with us.''
When they weren't talking about the struggle or singing We Shall Overcome and other anthems of the American civil rights movement, Professor O'Donoghue recalls some of the activists throwing boomerangs on the vacant land opposite.
This week, the two women are back in the same digs, and hoping that the unity, energy and optimism that abounded almost half a century ago will be replicated - and help transform the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
The 1967 referendum resulted in indigenous Australians being counted in the census and gave the national government the power to make laws for their benefit, but only conferred what Noel Pearson described as a ''neutral kind of citizenship''.
The Act of Recognition to be backed by Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott confers a positive acknowledgment of the unique place of the country's first peoples, their culture and their languages - and is the forerunner to a referendum to enshrine this recognition in the constitution. In the spirit of reconciliation, the Prime Minister will acknowledge the courage of Kevin Rudd in delivering the apology to the stolen generations this day, five years ago - and of the indigenous people for accepting it.
Ms Peisley's expectation is that, like the 1967 referendum, the proposed change will win the support of more than 90 per cent of voters. But, like Professor O'Donoghue, she admits to being on tenterhooks. ''This is what we've worked for all our lives - to see us as being part of the country,'' she says.
''The biggest fabrication was creating a constitution that said nobody was here, that the land was barren and empty. We definitely were here. It's the biggest lie ever told in this country and we've got to change that. It's about setting the record straight.''
Professor O'Donoghue agrees, and says one of the biggest challenges is to achieve the kind of unity among Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders that prevailed in 1967. But she has a deeper worry that stems from the experience of being part of special symbolic moments that don't lead to far-reaching change on the ground - the 1967 referendum, the bridge walks of 2000 and even the apology.
''I live in hope every time that something special like this comes, that something special comes from it,'' she says. ''But every time our hopes and dreams are always shattered - not at the time, but later. We don't get any satisfaction. This time I'm hoping it will be different.''
Anniversary of landmark apology
Today is also the fifth anniversary of Kevin Rudd's apology to the Stolen Generation.
On February 12, 2008, Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians from across the country gathered in front of televisions, and at Parliament House in Canberra to witness the moment.
In his speech, Mr Rudd apologised on behalf of the parliament and government for the "blemished chapter in our national history" and asked for forgiveness so Australia could move forward from the past actions of the federal government.
"We apologise for the laws and policies of the successive parliaments and governments that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians," Mr Rudd said.
"We apologise especially for the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander children from their families, their communities and their country.
"We, the parliament of Australia, respectfully request that this apology be received in the spirit in which is has been offered, as part of the healing of the nation."
Mr Rudd also shared his vision for Australia's future, which included mutal respect, mutual resolve and working together as a nation to pave the way to a successful future.
