As many of you would know. Yesterday was the crowning, the conclusion of the Miss NAIDOC Perth program of which I was a finalist.
…But yesterday is a much more important day than a crowning day. Yesterday was Sorry Day.
Sorry Day is a day when all Australians can acknowledge and recognise members of the Stolen Generations. A day where we acknowledge the traumas, mistreatments and negative impacts that the governments forced removal of children from their families had.
These forced removals impacted the children and their families. We recognise that these impacts are intergenerational and are still impacting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families today.
It’s was also a day to remember all the children that never found their way home. My Grandfather is one of these children.
Yesterday marked the 10th anniversary of former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s Sorry speech (video below) and the 11th anniversary of the “Bringing Them Home Report” being tabled in Federal Parliament.
If you didn’t realise it was Sorry Day yesterday, please join me in spending a few moments to think about the people and families impacted by the forced removal of children; the children that never made it home; and the impacts that are still present today…. Please also think about the strength, resilience and courage of these children and their families.
Understanding, empathy and compassion will aid the healing process. It’s up to all of us to make the difference in Australia.
Sorry, this one is a day behind. Yesterday’s Miss NAIDOC Perth crowing events, seen me spending 12 hours (yes, twelve hours!), getting hair and make-up done, routine practice, fittings, networking, and on-stage performances. Believe it or not, I survived but it has put me a little behind schedule.
Click the link for more information on National Reconciliation Week
Click the link to veiw a downloadable copy of the “Binging Them Home Report”
Click the link if you would like to learn more about what the “Stolen Generations” are, what happened, why it happened and some of the impacts it had.
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