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| home | news lLondon to host Sorry Day event remembering the Stolen Generations22 May 2006 - Press Release (ENIAR) - London's Victoria Embankment Gardens will host a commemoration of Sorry Day outside Australia on Thursday 25 May from 6pm - 8pm.
Sorry Day is the annual day in which Australia remembers the Stolen Generations of Aboriginal Children who were forcibly removed from their families. The UK event will conclude on Thursday evening as dawn breaks in Australia on Friday 26 May, when events are held around the nation to commemorate Sorry Day. Sorry Day UK is organised by the European Network for Indigenous Australian Rights (ENIAR), a small but extremely enthusiastic group of volunteers who aim to increase awareness about Indigenous Australian issues in Europe and the UK. Gill Watson, coordinator of ENIAR states: "Sorry Day UK is an opportunity for all people, regardless of their nationality and ethnicity to gather together in recognition of the Stolen Generations of Aboriginal children. It is a time for us to join in support of reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians and to encourage a formal apology from the Australian Government." The event programme will consist of several high profile Australian speakers, Indigenous musicians and personalities. These will include Phil Glendenning, National President of Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation (ANTaR); Michael Williams, Director of the Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit at the University of Queensland; and Francis Firebrace, Aboriginal storyteller, performer and artist, accompanied by didgeridoo player Phil Jackson. There will be various other performances by Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian and British musicians, poets and writers including Rikki Shields, Brigitte Anderssen and Kay Walton. MC at Sorry Day UK will again be Chris Robinson, an Indigenous Australian and British Citizen living in UK, a former ABC and Koori Radio broadcaster. Gill Watson explains why ENIAR have organised a Sorry Day event in London: "We at ENIAR believe it is very important for non-Indigenous Australians to understand the history of their country, and to recognise that so much of what we enjoy and take for granted has been built on oppression of the Indigenous population. We don't want to make people feel guilty, that's not productive and does not contribute to healing. We do want Australians to be aware of the cumulative effect of decades of policies that have resulted in the forcible removal of their children and stripped Indigenous people of their connection to their country, land and their identity. For me, saying "sorry" is not about taking on personal responsibility for the past, but rather an expression of regret and empathy with Indigenous Australians. Sorry Day UK is also a forum for Australians living and travelling abroad to participate in an aspect of the Australian ex-pat community that is not focused on mass sporting events and pub-crawls." "This stereotypical view is incorrect and out of date. There are thousands of Australians in the UK and Europe with a strong connection to Australia, a solid sense of social justice and pride in their country, yet a continuing disappointment and disgust at the past and present injustices in Australia. It is wrong to assume that we lose this sense of social responsibility and commitment to human rights when we move away from Australia. By organsing a Sorry Day event in London, ENIAR allow politically and socially aware ex-pats to gather together and respectfully acknowledge the Stolen Generations and the continuing need to raise the profile and awareness of Indigenous Australian rights." The 2006 Sorry Day UK has the full support of the National Sorry Day Committee and Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation (ANTaR). Last year's event in Lincoln's Inn Fields was the first time that Sorry Day had been commemorated outside Australia. Refreshments, disability access and seating are available in the Gardens. All welcome. Sorry Day UK - 6-8pm - Thursday 25th May 2006 Notes to Editors Sorry Day remembers the Stolen Generations of Aboriginal children forcibly removed from their families from the first days of European occupation of Australia until the 1970s. Up to 100,000 children were removed between 1910 and 1970, between 10% and 30% of all Aboriginal children. Most were brought up in State and Church institutions, denied contact with their families, the use of their languages and the practice of their culture. 'Sorry Day' was launched in 1998, after publication of a report 'Bringing Them Home' by the Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission, on the history and repercussions of the stolen children. The report concluded that not one Indigenous family had escaped the effects of the policy and that forcible removal was an act of genocide. It also made 54 recommendations including opening of records, tracing family, counselling and reparations. Few have been implemented. More about the report and its findings can be found at http://www.hreoc.gov.au/social_justice/stolen_children/ The first Sorry Day, on 26 May 1998, saw some of the biggest marches in Australia's history. Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians in towns and cities across the country joined in recognition of the Stolen Generations and in support of reconciliation and a formal apology from the Australian government. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are the Indigenous inhabitants of Australia. They now number over 460,000, 2.4% of the population. Evidence of Aboriginal inhabitation goes back over 60,000 years. They suffered violence and dispossession after British colonisation and their full rights to citizenship were not legally recognised until the 1960s. Various forms of discrimination persist today. Press Enquiries: Further Information:
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