tigertail in new york

Today, February 13 2008, is a landmark day in Australian History.

Today, our newly elected Prime Minister offered an official apology to our nation's Indigenous people for the wrongs of the past, in particular for the taking away of Aboriginal children from their families.

Today Australians re-started the journey down the path to reconciliation, to acknowledgment of past wrongs and to new hopes for a better shared future.

Today will be remembered as the day the wheels were set in motion for all Australians to have the same opportunities, to celebrate our backgrounds and communities, to experience our cultures and share them with other Australians, to work together so we all can live together in peace and harmony.

It's been 8 years since I joined with a quarter of a million other Sydney-siders and walked over the Sydney Harbour Bridge for reconciliation. And for a long time I felt like the powerful surge of support for Indigenous Australians that was so much a part of that day had been lost under the previous government.

But today I feel proud. Today I feel uplifted. Today I celebrate. This is not the end of the struggle, but this is the beginning of healing together to move forward to a brighter future.

I know my Mum & my Aunty are out there flying Aboriginal flags today, and I'll be wearing my Aboriginal colours pin today in recognition of this great moment.

After so many years of being ashamed of the racism, intolerance and petty-mindedness of the previous government and what they were doing to our country, today I feel I can hold my head up and say "I'm Australian".

Because today we said one simple word that signifies so much.

Today we said "sorry".

Posted by Ness on Wednesday, February 13, 2008 at 1:10 AM | Permalink