Racial tensions flared in Logan, south of Brisbane, after Saunders, the uncle of rugby league star Johnathan Thurston was beaten to death by nine Samoan males in October.
At the time, Aboriginal elders called for calm but insisted reconciliation talks would need to wait until the Saunders family had time to grieve.
Logan elder Aunty Peggy Tidyman said the Saunders family supported the apology ceremony.
“It is time for the community to move forward and begin healing,” Tidyman said.
She said after the murder, Aboriginal teens had looked to Logan elders for guidance.
“We asked them to show restraint, particularly at the courthouse (when Saunders’ alleged attackers appeared),” she said.
“They have done that and this apology is very important to them.”
In November, Samoan elders at Deception Bay, in Brisbane’s north, held a similar apology ceremony over the death, but it is believed Logan indigenous elders declined the invitation to attend, saying they weren’t ready.
During the ceremony at the Brothers Leagues Club on Wembley Road, the Samoan elders were scheduled to present the Aboriginal elders with hand-woven fine mats — the most highly valued gift in the Samoan community.
The communities were also expected to exchange flags.
