The Apology
February 13, 2008 · Print This Article
Driving to the airport today I asked the taxi driver to turn on the radio so I could hear Kevin Rudd apologise to the Stolen Generations.
I was completely moved to tears. It felt to me like a new dawn, a new beginning and I felt privileged to be alive and through listening, witness to this moment.
The other day a friend of mine was describing a speech given at the opening of the Festival - so this story is third hand. She said he told the story of a painting - I think done by the Carrolup artists - a painting of footsteps. He asked the significance of the painting which to his eye - didn’t look that exciting - and was told that the footprints were those of children taken away. The parents fenced off the footprints in the sand made by their children as that was the last tangible thing they had to hold on to.
I don’t know if that’s a true story - but it sounds true - heart breakingly true - and that’s why today is so important for us all.
my friend (a bestie) helped organise that carrolup film. i went to a preview screening at UWA it was moving but more so than that was hearing (and meeting) uncle angus who i think was at the sorry day today.
i also went to the carrolup exhibition in kattanning as part of last years’ festival. i walked into that exhibition and just had tears rolling down my face i was so moved by the pictures. especially those with that seemed to show a road leading out of the picture, like an exit strategy for those kids, a track to follow out of there - and it seems that was what the art was for them, a track to lead them “home”.
the local noongyar artists had an exhibition. i bought a picture which shows a line of kids on a stark plain background. this is a picture of the kids lining up for tea time. for me it it made me think of the institutionalisation of those kids but also the conversations and support they would have found from their neighbours in that line. i bought it from a lady in the street, we got to chatting and she told me the story of how she started painting after a conversation with her dying grandma made her realise the importance of telling stories. On that note read “the shah of blah” by rushdie about the danger of lost stories!
go see my post for my take on the sorry business.
your cooda, ali
Thank God this day has finally come!
I spent most of the speech in tears. Just the stories. They broke my heart.
I am sort of regretting my short post on the subject today. After the mind blowingly STUPID conversations I had to endure today….
There are so many stories about the children stolen away that should be shared…….
It was a very emotional day for many I think.
I listened to this in the car going to school with the kids. Very powerful stuff. They were blown away by the stories. The whole thing made me very sad, but I believe that it will be cathartic personally and politically for many.