CANBERRA, NSW, SOUTH AUSTRALIA, VICTORIA

One focus could be the 'Sorry Books' now being distributed, which give everyone the chance to say sorry in their own words. Civic or political leaders could hand these books to elders of the Indigenous communities.

Representatives of government, police forces, churches and other agencies could be given the chance to speak about their agency's role in the removal policies, and express regret in whatever terms they choose. The Indigenous community would have the chance to respond.

It is hoped the ceremonies will be accompanied by displays, cultural presentations, theatrical and other events developed together by the local Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities, which bring the history to life, expressing the pain but also the resilience of those who were removed. And
which look forward to a new future.

Events

Sorry Day is an expression of a people's movement. The National Sorry Day Committee is chaired by Carol Kendall of the Stolen Generations Working Group, and Greg Thompson of World Vision. But the national committee is not organising events. That is up to communities and individuals throughout the country.

Across Australia, committees are now meeting to plan major events on Sorry Day. And many individuals are planning smaller events. In Canberra, for instance, Aboriginal elder Flo Grant, a fashion designer, has invited South Australian artist and designer Helen Stacey to join her in a joint fashion display to mark Sorry Day.

If you have ideas, and wish to be part of Sorry Day, please be in touch with the person listed for your State on the 'Contacts' page of this web site.

Sorry Day was launched at La Perouse on 10th March. Mr Gatjil Djerrkura, Chair of ATSIC, and Ms Evelyn Scott, Chair of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation, both spoke.

A wide array of Australia's media was present, and the story was carried on ABC TV, SBS TV, many newspapers and radio stations.

There will be an ecumenical/interfaith service in Melbourne on 26th May. It will be held in St Paul's Anglican Cathedral at 10.00am until 11.00am. Participants will include church leaders and leaders of other faith communities. At the end of the service the bells of city churches will ring in a synchronised pattern to mark the beginning of the journey home for the stolen generations, and a commemoration of the lives of those indigenous Australians who never returned home to their families. The service will be followed by a walk from the Cathedral to the Town Hall, where the Lord Mayor will hold a civic ceremony at which Sorry Books will be handed to Indigenous elders. In the city, the Australian flag and Aboriginal and Torres Straits Islander flags will be flown at half-mast as a mark of respect and mourning for the stolen generations.

The Canberra Times wrote (Mar11)

A National Sorry Day, to bring truth home

by Jenna Price

The men wandered down the hillside, the whale and fishbone markings of the Dharruwul nation clear on their bodies. The sound of the clapping sticks punctuated the steady mournful song of the didgeridoo.

Just over 200 years ago, the ancestors of these men saw James Cook begin the dispossession of the Aboriginal people.

Yesterday, in the same place, Aborigines and Europeans came together to continue a process of reconciliation with the launch of National Sorry Day.

The place was La Perouse, on Botany Bay, on a cliff where Yarra Bay House stands.

It too tells a story in the tragic history of Australian Aborigines, because it was used as a holding bay for children stolen from their parents.

National Sorry Day comes as a recommendation of the national inquiry in to the separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families.

Most Australians are more familiar with the more colloquial title of the report, Bringing Them Home, or the stolen generation.

The launch of National Sorry Day was begun with a traditional smoking ceremony to ward off bad spirits and encourage good ones.

Almost every speaker spoke of desire to go home, or to help bring home brothers and sisters.

Carol Kendall, of the National Sorry day Committee and the Stolen Generation Working Group, was reunited with her mother 11 years ago - and did not know she was Aboriginal until she was 20.

Having a National Sorry Day was critical to the Australian recognition of the issues surrounding the stolen generation, she said.

" It is a celebration of the strength, resilience and determination of those who have survived those policies."

The chairman of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission, Gatjil Djerrkura, acknowledged his good fortune at not having been taken away from his family.

But, he said, "The sad and real truth is that many of my people today are still suffering from the impact of this history."

He said Australians must not ignore the history of their country.

"It is not a black armband view of history - it is one based on truth... (it) does require you to listen and acknowledge."

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CANBERRA
Download Canberra flyer

Friday 22 May
National Library Foyer 7.30pm Coming Home
A cross-cultural experience of traditional and contemporary dance, song,
fashion, drama and visual art, produced by Wiradjeri elder and textile
designer Flo Grant, and South Australian artist Helen Stacey. It is both a
historical journey and a celebration of the skills of Indigenous and
non-Indigenous performers, designers and artists, who together explore the
return of the 'stolen generation' to their families, communities and
country.


Sunday 24 May
Commonwealth Park 12-4pm Coming Together
An informal get-together to honour those of the 'stolen generations' who
live around Canberra. Chat over a barbecue or picnic lunch. Discover the
richness of Indigenous culture and history through displays, music and
drama. Activities for all ages. Bring your music.


Monday 25 May
Australian National University 12.30pm
A commemoration of Sorry Day for the university's staff and students.

At front of Parliament House 3.45pm Walking the stories
A guided walk to visit and acknowledge those institutions involved in the
'stolen generations'.


Tuesday 26 May
Tilly's Devine Cafe, Lyneham 7am Hear the Stories
A breakfast at which Audrey Kinnear, who was removed from her family, will
tell her story, and Betty Little will share other stories through song.

Old Parliament House 12.30-2.30pm Honour the grief, begin the healing
A formal ceremony at which representatives of the ACT's institutions can
respond to the 'Bringing Them Home' report.

Aboriginal Embassy 2.45pm Commit to Healing
Come home to the spirit of the fire at this place of healing. A time for
commitment

Australian National University 6.00pm
Inter-faith service, with particular focus on the story of the stolen
generations

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Colebrook 31 May Unveiling of Memorial
A memorial to the Stolen Generations on the site of Colebrook Home, where
hundreds of stolen generation children grew up, will be unveiled. It is a
statue of a mother, separated from her children. Water flows from a
cooleman into a pool.

Sorry Book Locations:

Salisbury Council: 3 books.
Contact: Vince Buckskin, (08) 84068222

Adelaide Council: 2 books.
Contact: David Hollinsworth/Dot Davey, (08) 82037442

Tandanya: 1 book.
Contact: Trish Boylen, (08) 82243200

Australians for Reconciliation: 5 books (available for events).
Contact: Russell Burgess, 1800 060270

Mary MacKillop College: 1 book.
Contact: Kathleen Black, (08) 83322654

Celebrating Diversity Coalition: 1 book.
Contact: Scott Litchfield, (08) 82124066

Mitcham city Council: 1 book (until 15 May).
Contact: Anna Vallejo, (08) 82728888

Community Aid Abroad: 3 books at selected stores, CAA Hutt St: 1 book.
Contact: CAA.

Body Shops (all) until late May.

Enfield Library, Gilles Plains Library, Port Adelaide Library and Port Adelaide Enfield Council until 12noon, Monday 25 May.

Where books will be available temporarily:

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Confirmed Events: All events free and open to public unless otherwise stated.

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