UNSW acknowledges Sorry Day 2006

Friday 26 May is National Sorry Day.

National Sorry Day was declared in 1998 to provide an opportunity for all Australians to acknowledge the impact of the policies of forcible removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families. It also commemorates those removed, and celebrates new understandings and ways forward for Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.

The landmark report of the National Inquiry into the separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from their Families, Bringing Them Home, revealed the extent of the forced removal, which went on for more than 150 years. It left a legacy of broken families, shattered physical and mental health, loss of language and cultural connection and enormous distress for its victims.

At UNSW National Sorry Day is an opportunity for non-Indigenous UNSW staff and students to pause and reflect on the past, and to renew our commitment as an organisation and as individuals to making things different in the future, together with our Indigenous colleagues and fellow students.

“UNSW has a strong commitment to Sorry Day and reconciliation though the University's Reconciliation Statement, and through its education and employment strategies aimed at providing Indigenous Australians with fair and equitable access," Vice-Chancellor Professor Mark Wainwright said.

"The AUQA report commended the wonderful work done by Nura Gili on campus and in the community, and 2006 will see the University renewing our commitment to the Indigenous employment program."

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flags will be flown on campus on Sorry Day.

This year the National Sorry Day Committee has adopted as the native hibiscus flower as the national emblem of the Stolen Generation. The flower was chosen because it is found widely across Australia and is a survivor. Its purple colour denotes compassion and spiritual healing.

UNSW has ordered a quantity of imitation silk native hibiscus flowers from the National Sorry Day Committee. The flower can be worn on Sorry Day to commemorate the women and children of the Stolen Generation.

If you would like to purchase a flower, please contact Julia Wibowo, ph 9385 4734.