South Coast Elder Uncle Ossie Cruse explains why he's voting Yes for the Voice referendum

The now 89-year-old activist has charted the course of politics for decades, advocating for the rights and inclusion of his people since before they were even considered as part of the constitution.

Being part of the Uluru Statement From the Heart in 2017, which acted as the genesis for the proposed referendum for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, Uncle Ossie said the Voice was the way forward.

"I was one of 250 people at Uluru and we developed a statement that covered all issues and our responses to them," he said.

"When I look at this document [the Voice] and see the referendum I can't criticise it, because it's the end result that I'd be looking for."

Uncle Ossie said throughout his years of politics he had grown to learn that it was important to understand the process that goes behind change.

"If you destroy the process, you go so far back, and you're going to have to start again," he said.

In his youth he said he used to have a "young and fiery" attitude towards making change.

"I wanted to destroy the process, but one of my colleagues said to me 'mate, if you tear the whole fabric down, you've got no way of dealing with the issues'," he said.

Uncle Ossie said the nation had come a long way since his early days, when he lived in period of Australia where he described legislation being "deliberately racist".

"I come from the days of racism, I've seen it in its worst forms and felt the impacts of it on our people," he said.

Uncle Ossie recalled a memory of his youth when he was in Nowra and had dressed up with his cousin to go into a milkshake shop but was denied service because they didn't "serve blacks in here".

Nowadays Uncle Ossie said he'd seen a shift in attitude towards First Nations people which inspired him to believe things were moving forward.

"I've seen the radical changes from the times of racism up till today, and I know that there's more good people in this country than there are racist," he said.

"Even though there are people getting on and saying no we're not going to support the voice, I think the bulk of Australian people will support change and that's my estimate of what people are today."

Uncle Ossie said people "should always strive for peace in our country and other benefits will flow on".

"Anyone can get up and make a racket and want to tear the country apart, but it's the peacemakers that see a wrong and get in to change it to make it right."

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