The week nurtures and grows the relationships shared by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and other Australians.

It is important to recognise that Indigenous history and culture is Australian history and culture.

This year is especially significant for indigenous rights as May 27 is the 50-year anniversary of the 1967 referendum where Australians voted overwhelmingly to amend the constitution to include Aboriginal people in the census and allow the Commonwealth to create laws for them.

June 3 is also the 25-year anniversary of the Mabo decision, where the High Court of Australia decided that terra nullius should not have been applied to Australia.

The landmark decision recognised that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have rights to the land – rights that existed before the British arrived and can still exist today.

Australia’s mistreatment of Indigenous Australians is a national shame.

These two cases are significant in our attempt to rectify our wrongdoings; however, our journey to complete reconciliation is far from over.

My organisation, Youth Off The Streets, takes great pride in reconnecting young Indigenous Australians with their history and culture.

I employ Aboriginal youth workers and case workers to connect to young people and encourage them to be proud of who they are and where they come from.

This reconciliation week, I implore all Australians to get involved in their communities reconciliation events.

I invest in the Aboriginal youth of today, so they can be the leaders of tomorrow.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared May 31 ‘World No Tobacco Day’. Bravo! We've known about the link between smoking and cancer for more than 60 years, and any opportunity to remind people to quit is welcome.

But let's not forget that meat, which is much more widely consumed than cigarettes, can also be deadly. The WHO ranks processed meats as group one carcinogens: bacon, ham and sausages are now in the same category as asbestos, alcohol, arsenic and tobacco as a major cause of cancer, while red meat more generally is in the 2A "probably carcinogenic" category.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer concluded that each 50-gram portion of processed meat eaten daily increases a person's risk of developing colorectal cancer by 18 per cent.

Research also shows that meat-eaters are about 40 per cent more likely to get cancer than people who eat plant-based foods.

Millions of people have improved their health and longevity by quitting smoking, and millions more would live longer and better if they gave up processed and other meats.

And there's an added benefit: they would help end the confinement, torment, and killing of billions of sentient creatures each year for a taste sensation that lasts no longer than a smoke.

I wish to nominate Yass Taxis for the Tribune’s Thumbs Up award for the following reason: on Anzac Day, any service man or service woman who is marching can get a taxi ride from their home to the start of the march site at no cost.

Yass Taxi makes this very kind gesture to show their appreciation of returned service men and service women. I say “well done, Yass Taxis”. That is a lovely gesture.