26 MAY 2024
National Sorry Day is a day created for the Stolen Generations. It is a day for them and their families to take time to reflect on their journey and for many, to mourn a loss that can never be fully healed.
For those of us who are not Stolen Generations, National Sorry Day is a day to show our support for the Stolen Generations and their families, to come together and ensure their stories of survival and resilience do not disappear into the mist of time.
Link-Up Victoria provides support for members of the Stolen Generations, helping them to find and reunite with family, and reconnect with culture. It is the only service in Victoria to provide these reunions which help to rebuild connections broken through government policies of forced child removals.
For 34 years, VACCA has supported members of the Stolen Generations to return home through our Link-Up program; to meet their living family, to pay respects to loved ones who have passed into the Dreaming, to listen to the stories of their people, and to stand on their traditional County, embracing their Aboriginal identity and culture with pride.
The Stolen Generations are living proof of the strength and resilience of our people, families and communities, but there is much to be done to correct the imbalance of equality across all Aboriginal communities and address the rising tide of racism post-referendum. Aboriginal people are still fighting the battle to have our voices heard, and to be listened to on matters that concern us.
“Caring Australians understand and empathise with us about what has happened to our people, and the impacts that are still being felt today,” says VACCA CEO Muriel Bamblett. “But the fight for truth telling is needed now more than ever before.”
It is up to all of us to ensure that National Sorry Day, and the stories of Stolen Generations members and their families, continue to be commemorated and remembered.
“National Sorry Day is a day to reflect on the shared, true history of Australia in remembrance of the parents, families, clans and tribes whose children were taken since colonisation,” says Ms Bamblett. “It is a day that acknowledges the damage caused, and recognition of how far there is to go to restore and fully repair what was taken from us.”
Recognition of the devastating intergenerational trauma they have endured, and access to compensation for the ongoing impacts of being forcibly removed from their families and is a key element of the healing journey for Stolen Generations members.
We encourage all Stolen Generations who are eligible to apply for compensation through the Stolen Generations Reparations Scheme. For more information or support to apply, please contact Link-Up Victoria.
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FOR RELEASE –
Beth Cesarin - Senior Manager, Communications and Public Affairs
PH: 0439 117 408 E: bethc@vacca.org
Sarah Gafforini – Director, Office of the CEO VACCA
T: 0427 621 421/ E: sarahg@vacca.org
ABOUT LINK-UP VICTORIA - www.linkupvictoria.org.au
Link-Up Victoria provides support to the Stolen Generations, helping them to find and reunite with family, reconnect to culture, proudly walk their Country and reclaim their Aboriginal identity.
Link-Up is the only service in Victoria to provide reunions for the Stolen Generations. These reunions help create connections to family, culture and Country to encourage healing and gives survivors a sense of who they are and where they belong.
To access Link-Up Victoria’s services, visit www.linkupvictoria.org.au or call 1800 OUR MOB (687 662)
ABOUT VACCA - www.vacca.org
The Victorian Aboriginal Child and Community Agency (VACCA) is Victoria’s Peak Voice for Aboriginal children. We are the leading provider of Aboriginal child and family services, and the largest provider of services for Aboriginal family violence and homelessness. We have been supporting children, young people, and families in the community for over 47 years as an Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation (ACCO).
Through our vision of self-determination – Live, Experience, and Be – we exist to support culturally strong, safe, and thriving Aboriginal communities. We deliver over 80 programs across Victoria including child and family services, family violence, support for stolen generations, child protection, cultural strengthening programs, mental health, financial services, justice and redress support, early years, and homelessness services.
We acknowledge the traditional owners of the lands on which we work. We pay our respects to their elders, past and present, and to their children and young people who are the future elders and caretakers of this great land.