Sorry Day was held on May 26, 2008 as it is every year, and in Perth, the Bringing Them Home Committee hosted a commemoration and celebration at Wellington Square. There were a few people there from the Queers for Reconciliation mob, including my colleague Alan Carter, who is also Treasurer of the Bringing Them Home Committee.

Sorry Day took on a whole new significance in 2008. The work of healing this nation has taken a leap forward, but it is far from over. The day was full of mixed emotions. To start with, it was an opportunity for a celebration of the Apology delivered by the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, on 13th February when he finally uttered the words that many had been waiting for:

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‘To the stolen generations, I say the following: as Prime Minister of Australia, I am sorry. On behalf of the government of Australia, I am sorry. On behalf of the parliament of Australia, I am sorry. I offer you this apology without qualification. We apologise for the hurt, the pain and suffering that we, the parliament, have caused you by the laws that previous parliaments have enacted. We apologise for the indignity, the degradation and the humiliation these laws embodied. We offer this apology to the mothers, the fathers, the brothers, the sisters, the families and the communities whose lives were ripped apart by the actions of successive governments under successive parliaments.’

However, Sorry Day was also a time when many whose families were affected by the removal of children remembered those who did not live to share in this momentous occasion. This acknowledgement of what happened also provided an opportunity for those affected to at last come to terms with what has happened and what was previously denied.

From a personal perspective, this issue of coming to terms with the past was brought home to me powerfully by the presence of my cousin and his son. My cousin is still grappling with the realities of what happened to him when he was removed from his parents and his presence there on the day was an illustration of how the Prime Minister’s Apology has given some people the message that they have needed so that they can begin to move on.

Another powerful illustration of the ongoing trauma that Aboriginal people are having to deal with was the presence of the mother of one of my fellow Committee members from the Bringing Them Home Committee. The mother had been removed as a child and spoke on Sorry Day about the impact that has had on her life and how she is still finding out about her family connections. When she left the stage another Aboriginal woman came up to her and told her that they were related. That emotional reunion says it all for me!

By acknowledging and paying respect, Parliament has now laid the foundations for healing to take place and for a reconciled Australia in which everyone belongs. For Sorry Day is not just about the Stolen Generations – it is about every Australian.
Sorry Day 2008 was a time to celebrate, a time to honour the memory of those who had passed away and a time to share the grief of those who still feel the hurt inflicted by past government policies every day of their lives, but perhaps above all, it was a time for all of us to commit to working together to ensure proper reconciliation in this country. If you would like to get involved in this journey of reconciliation please ring me on 0408 917 133 or Alan Carter, my Queers for Reconciliation colleague on 0428 250 155.

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Jim Morrison is the Co-Convenor of the Bringing Them Home Committee and was the 2006 Pride Patron.