National Sorry Day

Today is National Sorry Day, marking 29 years since the handing down of the “Bringing Them Home” Report into the Stolen Generations.

It is a day to remember and honour all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who were taken from their families and communities under racist assimilation policies and legislation. We also cannot forget the families from whom they were taken. It is a day to acknowledge the immense suffering they endured and the lifelong impacts that continue for them.

The traumatic experiences of the children who were placed in children’s homes, training schools, other residential institutions, or fostered out to white families is an especially sobering point of reflection for Wattle Place. We exist because of the failures of Governments and Institutions and the harm they caused.

We express our sorrow for the widespread, systematic abuse inflicted on the Stolen Generations. We also acknowledge the amazing strength, courage and self-determination of members of the Stolen Generations, their families and the wider community of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.