Social Justice Report 1998 : Appendix 2: Selected Inventory of Apologies and National Sorry Day Events

Social Justice Report 1998

Appendix 2: Selected Inventory of Apologies and National Sorry Day Events

The Bathurst community said 'sorry' yesterday, in a communal gathering leading the way in the reconciliation process.

Politicians, church leaders, community members and the local Aboriginal community gathered in Peace Park yesterday for 'Sorry Day', organised by local members of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation.

The Western Advocate (Bathurst), 25 August 1997

The trade union movement yesterday formally apologised to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders for the removal of their children.

The President of the ACTU, Ms Jennie George, yesterday told the movement's congress in Brisbane that all fair-minded and compassionate people would have been moved by the findings of the recent Stolen Generations inquiry.

Addressing the former head of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission, Ms Lois O?Donoghue, Ms George said: 'Please hear us when we express to you our deep sorrow for the actions of those who caused your people such harm. On behalf of this congress, please accept our formal apologies for the wrongs that were done to your people. We are truly, truly sorry'.

The Age, 5 September 1997

Bankstown Council has apologised to more than 1700 local Aborigines for the past treatment of their people. Councillor Richard McLauglin put forward the motion that council acknowledge and apologise for 'past State and Federal policies affecting the separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families'.

Bankstown Express, 30 September 1997

Warrawong Public School principal, Sash Manojlovic, has apologised on behalf of his school for past injustices imposed upon Aborigines. The unprecedented apology, made during Universal Children's Day yesterday, has surprised some parents and the Aboriginal community. 'I say sorry for the horrendous practice of separating children from their parents, forcing them to live and grow in isolation', Mr Manojlovic wrote in a school newsletter.

The Illawarra Mercury, 23 October 1997

The Federation of Parents and Citizens' Associations of New South Wales, extends to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples an unqualified apology for the Federation's compliance in the official policies of assimilation which held sway in Australia for decades. This apology was unanimously supported, in principle, by the Federation's July 1997 Annual Conference.

Federation of Parents and Citizens Associations of New South Wales, Media Release, 18 November 1997

The Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) and our undersigned members deeply regret the damage caused by the forcible separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families. …

It is only through the commitment of all government and non-government organisations to make reparation and the support of the wider community that non-indigenous and indigenous Australians can heal the wounds of the past and create a solid foundation for a shared future. Without such a commitment, the reconciliation process, embarked upon with such hope, will be rendered meaningless.

Australian Council of Social Service, Statement of Apology and Commitment, November 1997

Computer consultant, Anthony Shipley, yesterday gave a petition to Fremantle MHR Carmen Lawrence, urging the Government to apologise to the generation of Aboriginal children taken from their parents and placed in foster care. The petition contains the electronic 'signatures' of 5461 Internet users who put their names to the campaign. (At time of publication, there were more than 11,000 names to the apology.)

The West Australian, 9 February 1998

Eurobodalla's 'sorry book' was launched in Mogo last week. Suggested by the Eurobodalla Walking Together Group, the book was handmade by Mick Ivory & handpainted by South Coast Koori artist, Colin Davis, himself a member of the stolen generation.

The Illawarra Mercury, 12 February 1998

At a gathering of more than 4,000 people in Musgrave Park, the Lord Mayor of Brisbane, Jim Soorley, used the ritual of handing the keys of the City of Brisbane to Elder Herb Bligh to symbolise that Indigenous people are welcome in the City. He expressed the sorrow of the people of Brisbane for the pain and suffering caused by past injustices and of their determination to work together for reconciliation and healing.

ANTaR (Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation) Newsletter No. 3, March 1998

The Dubbo Reconciliation Group launched a sorry book in Dubbo today and will be presented to a delegation representing Indigenous Australians on national 'Sorry Day'?on May 26.

The Daily Liberal (Dubbo), 12 March 1998

The President of the Vietnamese Community in Victoria, Thanh Van Le, and the President of the Republic of Vietnam RSL sub-branch, Victoria, in a letter to the Editor, stated 'we understand about the loss of home, family and cultural values, and we too would like to express our deep sorrow to all Indigenous Australians for their suffering and offer our support for genuine reconciliation'.

The Age, 3 April 1998

A historic commitment honouring the partnership between Newcastle City Council and the region's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people was signed last night.

The document, which represented a commitment from the Council the principles of reconciliation, acknowledged the suffering of Australia's Indigenous people. It was signed during an Aboriginal dance performance on the stairs of City Hall last night.

The reconciliation process concluded with a ceremonial knocking at the City Hall doors. The group was greeted by the Lord Mayor of Newcastle, Cr. Heys, who wore his ceremonial chain and robes. Cr. Heys said the document recognised the community's effort to see the past clearly 'I do not find it hard to say sorry for particular sins perpetrated by my culture, including the stolen generation issue,' he said. 'We have a clear responsibility as a nation to see the past clearly, such that we can see our way clearly ahead, and this is what this commitment is about.'

The Newcastle Herald, 15 April 1998

The University of Canberra's graduation ceremonies this week will be marked by a formal apology to Indigenous Australians.

Yesterday, Chancellor Wendy McCarthy, drew the attention of the first group of 1800 students to graduate over the next two days to the fact that they were standing on ?Ngunawal land'. Ms McCarthy said such a tribute to traditional owners was 'part of the reconciliation process, which the University supports'.

The University Council has prepared a document, to be circulated across the University this week, which apologises for the wrongs that have been done to Aborigines.

The Canberra Times, 23 April 1998

The small town of Cootamundra (population 6,500) said sorry this weekend to the hundreds of stolen Aboriginal daughters who were brought from all over NSW to the 'training home' on the hill.

In an RSL hall bedecked with painted paper hands, the Mayor of Cootamundra Shire Council, Councillor Paul Braybrooks, handed a 'Sorry Book' to one of the home's former residents, Mrs Patsy Miller, who wept. …

'I read some of the Sorry Book. Some of the words people have written have amazed me. All these years, I never realised they felt like that,' she said. If she thought the people of Cootamundra had known what was going on in the home, she would not have been able to forgive. Now, she believes they did not know.

The Sydney Morning Herald, 18 May 1998

The New South Wales Police Commissioner, Peter Ryan, officially apologised on 23 May 1998 to members of the stolen generation and all Indigenous people for 'the prominent role the police played in enforcing past unjust laws'.

'Police over a long time were the public face of the Government as the agents of the Government, police caused unimaginable pain and anguish to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, families and particularly mothers and children by the forcible removal of children,' Mr Ryan said.

Sydney Morning Herald, 23 May 1998

The YWCA of Australia pledges to work closely with our Indigenous brothers and sisters to redress these wrongs, acknowledging that we cannot change the past, only lessen the pain and suffering. Our organisation commits to reconciliation and to ensuring the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are heard. We want to hear your stories, share your sorrow and work towards a brighter future for Australia.

To all of our Indigenous sisters and brothers, we sincerely apologise and hope that you can find it in your hearts to forgive us as members of a nation that stole your children and devastated your lives.

YWCA of Australia, quoted in Walking Together, Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation, July 1998

The Australian Vice-Chancellors Committee seeks to respond and be part of the wish of the majority of Australians to participate in the creation of a confident and harmonious nation where

• We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the original inhabitants of this continent and we recognise their loss of land, children, languages, health and kin.
• We believe that Australia will only become a mature nation if the past is acknowledged, the present understood and the future confidently based on the co-existence of rights.

Vice-Chancellors are committed to providing higher education pathways for Indigenous students and contributing to the process of reconciliation as leaders of education institutions which share with the Australian community the cultures, languages, history and contemporary experiences of Australia's Indigenous people.

Australian Vice-Chancellors Committee, quoted in Walking Together, Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation, July 1998

Thousands of Australians have attended 'Sorry Day' gatherings at more than 300 venues around the country, formally apologising for the creation of assimilationist policies inflicted on Indigenous peoples.

The Canberra ceremony attended by some Labor politicians, saw many of the 1000 strong audience weep at the testimonies.

In Sydney, a civic reception at Government House marked the handing over of 1000 'Sorry Books' by New South Wales Governor Gordon Samuels to stolen generations survivors Nancy de Vries and Wendy Hermeston.

In Melbourne, following a welcome song by Archie Roach and Ruby Hunter, an interfaith service was held at St Paul's Anglican Cathedral. At the end of the service the bells of city churches were rung 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.

In Brisbane, Link-Up [Qld] in conjunction with the Brisbane City Council held a ceremony in the city centre, Suncorp Park, where members of the stolen generations from Cherbourg and the Torres Straits told their moving stories. Brisbane Lord Mayor Soorley formally apologised for past government practices on behalf of the Brisbane City Council.

In Adelaide, city councils including Adelaide, Marian, Port Adelaide-Enfield, Salisbury and Tea Tree Gully held ceremonies which incorporated the presentation of Sorry Books to local Elders. At a reception at Adelaide Town Hall, more than 60 Indigenous representatives heard Dr Lowitja O?Donoghue outline the policies and effects of child removal and her own experiences as one of the stolen children.

In Launceston, a ceremony at the Aboriginal Elders Council of Tasmania saw the presentation of Sorry Books to Elders, a member of the stolen generations, and two Aboriginal youth. Local Elder Alma Stackhouse, from Flinders Island, spoke to the audience about removal practices in Tasmania, where about 200 children were taken from their families.

In Darwin, at a ceremony at Parliament House, Sorry Books were handed to Elders in front of 300 people who broke out into impromptu song at the end of the ceremony. The Books were presented in a coolamon to symbolise an empty cradle.

In Alice Springs, organisers were very pleased with a turn-out of 300 people at the council chamber lawns where there was a flag raising and the handing over of 'Sorry Books' to traditional owners.

In Perth, Sorry Day was commemorated in the forecourt of Parliament House which included apologies from government and churches. Sorry Books were presented after a minute's silence and the singing of the 'Sorry Song' by the 150-strong Co-existence Choir.

The Koori Mail, June 3 1998

3 April 2003.