Looking at Australia’s history from a different angle

The day marks the 2008 National Apology to the Stolen Generations by then-Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.

Every year since then, the Shepparton Region Reconciliation Group has run an Apology Breakfast to commemorate and reflect on the day’s meaning.

Students from the Academy of Sport, Health and Education hosted proceedings and assisted in the smoking ceremony, where they weaved through the crowd as Aunty Merle Miller did a Welcome to Country.

Two non-Indigenous students from Greater Shepparton Secondary College read out the Apology to the Stolen Generations, followed by a minute’s silence to reflect and remember those affected.

The day finished with a performance from Yorta Yorta artist Bricky B, who shared a spoken word piece he wrote called Elders.

Shepparton Region Reconciliation Group co-convenor Dierdre Robertson was this year’s guest speaker.

As a non-Indigenous person, Dierdre shared a different version of truth-telling than previous Sorry Day guest speakers.

“So when we think of truth-telling, it’s always, up until now, been from the First Nations side,” Ms Robertson said.

“I’m saying today, we need to do our own.

“We need to understand that the true price of nationhood was unfairly, brutally placed on the shoulders of First Nations people in communities.

“This is why we’re here today — to recognise that this removal happened, that it was cruel, it was brutal, with long-term consequences for those taken and for their families and communities.”

In discussing this, Ms Roberston reflected on the work of Australian journalist and author David Marr in his book Killing for Country.

The novel addresses the bloody history of Australia’s frontier wars following Mr Marr’s discovery that his ancestors were part of the Native Police that killed and hurt many First Nations peoples.

This was the story Ms Robertson shared — one that acknowledged the brutality and trauma perpetrated on First Nations peoples over the years.

Ms Robertson encouraged people, after walking away from the event, to strive to educate themselves and always ask questions about Indigenous Australia and their past and the history of colonial Australia.

“If you understand the history, it gives us an obligation to think about the future,” Ms Robertson said.

“Can we non-Aboriginal people step into the space of power and truth-telling?

“Can we find the courage to move past the euphemisms that sludged the reality of what happened to realise that our past is still with us today in our attitudes and blindness to see beyond ourselves.

“The ongoing removal of Aboriginal children overrepresented in out-of-home care, the deaths in custody, the list can go on — we need to actively listen to Aboriginal voices.”

Finishing her speech, Ms Robertson left the crowd with words from the 1949 musical South Pacific, which addresses the development of racism and prejudice in children from their parents.

“Let’s think about the legacy we leave young people,” she said.

“The future of our nation depends on it.

“Let’s all work together to make our community and our country a nation that’s courageous enough to understand the transformative power of truth-telling for all of us.”