Today is National Sorry Day – the day on which all Australians are invited to reflect on the impact of government policies of the past that led to the forced removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families and communities. It is a day intended for all Australians to come together and share the steps to be taken towards healing for the Stolen Generations and their families.
The first National Sorry Day was held on 26 May 1998 – one year after the tabling of the Bringing Them Home report in Federal Parliament that drew the attention of all Australians to what Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples already knew about the grave injustices they had experienced.
For PeakCare, National Sorry Day 2012 has special significance. This was the day on which, through the financial assistance and support of over thirty Queensland non-government organisations, peak bodies, businesses and individuals, we were able to arrange for the publication in the Courier Mail of a full-page letter to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of Queensland. A framed copy of the letter in the format in which it appeared in the Courier Mail was presented to the Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Protection Peak (QATSICPP) at a special ceremony held on the eve of National Sorry Day 2012.
The words of the letter remain as true and powerful today as the days on which they were written in 2012. In the words of a colleague and dear friend to PeakCare stated in 2012, “You don’t know how … good it was to wake up and read that in the paper!” There can be no better feedback than that! During your commemoration of National Sorry Day 2016, you are urged to set aside 5 minutes to listen to this digital recording of the letter and view some moving scenes of the ceremony held in 2012. Please encourage others from within your organisation to do the same.
A copy of the letter can be obtained by clicking here.