A wonderful day in Australia

Parramatta Girls - the Living Memorial Campaign.

It's ten minutes to go until the apology airs. There's a sense of expectation, a palpable feeling of possibility. Everyone I've spoken to over the past day or so has been talking about 'where they'll be'--in Canberra to witness the historic event first hand, down at Martin Place on the big screens, at work huddled around the TVs in the conference room. I decided to stay home, to sit quietly with all the thoughts about today swirling around in my head as the words come tumbling around me.

Language and power go together. The words of apology, as I've read the text, speak to the deep injustices of policies that systematically, deliberately sought to control, oppress and destroy. But I keep coming back to one question: what next?

The Parramatta Female Factory Precinct Living Memorial Campaign is one answer to that nagging question. One answer that says to those who were wronged: we hear you. We acknowledge the forgotten history and we want to give voice to your stories and your experiences.  We want to work together to create a new national narrative, a new set of stories that include those whose lives are left out of the history books. And we want to do it in a spirit of creativity, respect and inclusion.

Let's start today.

I thought Rudd's speech was one of the best I've ever seen in an Australian parliament.

Comments

[Anne-Marie Flynn]

Completely agree Trevor. I did not vote for Mr Rudd but after today, I am glad that others did. At last a PM that delivers what he promises and with an eloquence and a sense of appropriateness ( not righteousness) that we should all be proud of. Today we can all sing "Advance Australia Fair"

[Paull Young]

I watched the live streaming off his speech from my office in New York and was moved to near tears at his speech and the ovation that followed (especially seeing all members of Parliament on their feet acknowledging the aboriginal crowd in the galleries).

I'm glad that the importance of his speech wasn't amplified for me because of distance from home. I haven't seen more moving scenes in parliament, nor felt prouder to be Australian.