Remembering the Stolen Generations we mark Sorry Day.

For Many years, Bomaderry Aboriginal Children's Home, Cootamundra Domestic Training Home for Aboriginal Girls, Kinchela Boys Home and many more reserves and homes throughout Australia, housed Aboriginal children who had been forcibly removed from their families in the deliberate attempt to assimilate them into white Australian society.  

It’s hard to do justice to the devastating experience that awaited these children. Not only were they removed from family, country, kinship and culture, but they endured conditions no child should have to experience.  

On May 26, we mark Sorry Day – a day all Australians are asked to reflect on the devastating stain on our past that has become known as the Stolen Generations.  

Under decades-long government policy in the 20th century, Aboriginal children were forcibly removed from their families, losing not just their loved ones but their culture and connection to country.  

The ramifications of this are felt to this day, impacting outcomes in areas ranging from cultural connection to health and wellbeing. 

Sorry Day is an opportunity to reflect on this history and pay tribute to the Stolen Generations survivors and their descendants. It is a time to acknowledge their pain, but also their strength and resilience in surviving and rebuilding. 

One of the fundamental parts of the Uluru Statement from the Heart is a call for honest reflection – for truth-telling about our history. Sorry Day is an opportunity to take up that invitation. 

As a starting point, I would encourage you to watch this video about the Kinchela Boys home, (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander please be aware that the program may contain images and voices of dead Indigenous people) (Trigger warning, Contains Kidnapping, Violence, sexual abuse) , or read more about its history here. Noting on both fronts that the content is quite distressing and includes vivid recounts by survivors. 

There’s a line from the above website that, to me, summarises why this kind of reflection is important: it’s about unlocking our past to understand our future. 

We must acknowledge the deep pain First Nations people have experienced throughout our nation’s history in order to realise a future where Aboriginal and Torres Straite Islander peoples are recognised, respected and support. 

Sorry Day is also an opportunity to look for ways within our sphere of influence to progress reconciliation. The Uluru Dialogue has a number of ways to take action, including writing to an MP or downloading a supporter kit to help spread awareness. There also events around the country being held to mark Sorry Day, including a number at this link. 

On Sorry Day, we remember the past and work towards a better future for all.