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Narrator Rachel Perkins sets the scene for the apology to the Stolen Generations given by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on 13 February 2008. Interwoven are the personal experiences of Sue Gordon AM of the Yamatji Nation and Sam Dinah of the Noongar Nation.
Curator’s notes
After so many years of denial by successive governments, and a refusal to actually use the word ‘sorry’, this day was a victory for those who were taken or have been affected by the forceful removal of children from their families. Paul Keating’s 1992 ‘Redfern Speech’ had come close. He had given acknowledgement to the crimes as prime minister and stated, ‘We committed the murders. We took the children from their mothers.’ For Kevin Rudd’s apology to be officially recorded in parliament was a momentous event and for those present on the day it was a unique experience that will never be forgotten.
