National Sorry Day is an opportunity for the community to come together, reflect and heal from the past according to Moree’s Emily Barlow, whose mother was one of the thousands of Aboriginal children removed from their homes during the stolen generation.
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Ms Barlow bravely shared her mother’s story during last year’s Sorry Day event at Boughton Oval and now, ahead of National Sorry Day this year, she encourages everyone to take the time to commemorate the past.
“It is a part of history, not a good history but a very sad history,” she said.
“Sorry Day, for some people brings healing. It’s a time of reflecting on memories and working out what to hold on to and what to let go.
“But do we forgive and move on or do we stay in unforgiveness? I chose to find forgiveness myself, to find that peace in my own life.”
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Ms Barlow said while many people in the community don’t like to talk about their experiences, she believes the ripple effect of the stolen generation is still being felt in Moree today.
“Some of the wounds run very deep; they don’t allow them to come to the surface to be dealt with,” she said.
“[Sorry Day] is a good day to reflect and remember that progress has been made. We’re not ostracised like we used to be. We’re more out in the open and can voice our opinions now. It also gives other people understanding about the history of that person or their life in general.”
National Sorry Day (May 26) this year marks the 21st anniversary since the landmark Bringing Them Home report detailed the trauma that thousands of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people suffered as a result of forced removal from their families.
To commemorate the day, Pius X Aboriginal Corporation will be hosting a morning tea at 10am on Friday, May 25.
The event will feature a Welcome to Country, addresses by a number of guest speakers including Kerry Cassells and Mitchell Johnson from Moree Plains Shire Council and students from Moree Secondary College.
After the official ceremony, everyone is invited to enjoy a morning tea before making clay handprints.
“We have some ideas to build a wall with the handprints or do a paving with them,” event organiser Ray Dennison said.
Mr Dennison said Sorry Day has a lot of significance in Moree as many people from the area were taken away from their homes.
“One of the ones taken was a local fellow who used to come back and say his testimony and say how difficult it was to come back to this community,” he said.
For more information on the event, call Pius X on 6752 1099.
The Sorry Day event marks the beginning of Moree’s Reconciliation Week celebrations.
