By Brittany Drysdale
AN event of monumental importance, National Sorry Day is an annual reminder of the tragedies that befell an entire generation of Indigenous Australians. The day is part of the ongoing efforts towards reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.
Every year on May 26, we remember and acknowledge the mistreatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who were forcibly removed from their homes and families, now known as the Stolen Generations.
Sorry Day asks us to acknowledge the Stolen Generations, and in doing so, reminds us that historical injustice is still an ongoing source of intergenerational trauma for Aboriginal and Torres Islander families, communities, and peoples.
Taking place at Monash Park, hundreds of community members gathered on Friday, May 26 to take part in Shepparton’s Sorry Day event.
“Today is a sad day, it’s a happy day, it means for us to come together and walk together as one, to make a better future for our kids,” said proud Yorta Yorta man Michael Bourke during the Welcome to Country.
Attendees were invited to participate in the Smoking Ceremony, walking through the smoke to cleanse themselves of bad energy and replacing it with good, giving safe guidance and passage on this country.
Guest speaker Daryl Sloan- a member of the stolen generation- gave a moving speech about his personal experience with unjust displacement as a child, and his journey to help others experiencing the same thing.
Foster father, counsellor, outreach worker, and so much more, Daryl acknowledged the past wrongs against Indigenous peoples, and highlighted the on-going issues that are prevalent at present.
“We need to look at what’s going on, we need to take active steps, we need to make strong decisions.”
“Sorry means it shouldn’t happen again. But it is.”
