Thank you to staff and students, for their response to the parliamentary apology delivered by the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on February 13th. A special assembly was held at school on that day to hear the Prime Minister’s historic and important apology for the ‘profound wrong done to Aboriginal children, families and communities by governments that removed children on the basis of race’. These children, the “stolen generation” were forcibly removed from their families and communities by government, welfare or church authorities and placed into institutional care or with non-Indigenous foster families as early as the mid 1800s and continued until 1970.
The use of the word ‘sorry’ in the government’s apology is important as the word holds special meaning in Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander culture and in many Aboriginal communities. Sorry is an adapted English word used to describe the rituals surrounding death (Sorry Business). Sorry, is also used to express empathy or sympathy rather than responsibility. A significant moment in the nation’s history, this important event, was received with respect and dignity from the staff and student body.
The impromptu applause following the Prime Ministers address during the schools acknowledgement of this historic and important event highlighted the great qualities of our school. Thank you to Mr West, Mr Hill and Mrs Hannan for their efforts in producing a snapshot of the parliamentary address on the day. This was a mammoth task in such a short timeframe. Further thanks to Mr Badger for setting the scene and highlighting the significance of the event for the students, and to Mr Wynn and Mr Bland for their organisation on the day.
