Today, the 13th of February 2024 marks the 16th anniversary of the symbolic National Apology to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People and more specifically the Apology to the Stolen Generations by the then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in 2008.
The Stolen Generations people’s lives, their families’ lives and communities were destroyed by past government policies of forced child removal and assimilation which caused enormous disruption to family and cultural structures. The Apology was to recognise the wrongs of the past to those who suffered ongoing trauma and as a step forward in their healing journey.
The Apology was the beginning for survivors and families of the Stolen Generations to start their healing and is a reminder of the spirit in which the Apology was offered and the recognition of the importance of truth telling. Tragically, many of our Stolen Generations have not reunited with family or returned to country and the number of stolen children is not known.
For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people seeking to reunite with family or country, organisations like Link Up QLD (www.link-upqld.org.au/ ) can help find and bring together families from the Stolen Generations.