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Responses to the 2008 Apology
On 13 February 2008 Prime Minister Kevin Rudd made an apology to Australia’s Indigenous People on behalf of the Parliament of Australia. The State Library of Queensland, with assistance from Queensland University of Technology and Queensland’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, has captured responses to this historic event.
The following community members have created digital stories to share their thoughts and feelings on the Apology.
Tiga Bayles | Jeremy Robertson | Natalie Alberts |Sam Wagan Watson Jr | Nadine McDonald-Dowd | Anna Bligh | Quentin Bryce
General Manager of 98.9 FM, Brisbane’s Indigenous radio station, Tiga Bayles has a long history in the Indigenous broadcasting sector and has been instrumental in the establishment and management of Indigenous radio stations over the past two decades.
Jeremy is a drama student at the Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts. Originally from Coolamon, near Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Jeremy spent much of his childhood travelling back and forth between Queensland and New South Wales. His mother is Aboriginal and his father is Chinese.
Natalie is a descendent of the Iman/Yiman/Jiman people of the Dawson River region, with traditional affiliations to Gambuwal people and Wakka-Wakka and Burrungum speaking people of the Darling Downs. Natalie’s family has endured the enforced practices of removal and displacement from traditional homelands onto Missions, Reserves and Industrial Schools; although the family groups have maintained their connections to country and to one another.
Natalie is the Assistant Director of the Musgrave Park Cultural Centre which provides for the preservation, presentation and promotion of Aboriginal culture and heritage; and provides a platform for Indigenous artists to develop and display their skills. The Cultural Centre also provides cultural awareness and education for groups of the wider community. The Centre’s programs provides employment and training opportunities for Indigenous people, and encourages mentoring by Elders and Cultural Teachers for Indigenous youth.
Sam is a leading Aboriginal poet of his generation. His volume of poetry Muse, Meandering and Midnight won the 1999 David Unaipon Award and Smoke Encrypted Whispers won the 2004 Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry at the New South Wales Premiers Literary Awards. In between writing and community projects Sam is a regular guest speaker, workshop facilitator and mentor for the creative arts.
Nadine is the Program Coordinator for kuril dhagun at the State Library. Nadine’s mother, Veronica Anne McDonald, is a member of the Stolen Generation and was invited to sit in the Gallery of Parliament House for the Apology. Nadine accompanied her mother and father to Canberra.
The Premier of Queensland, Anna Bligh, shares her opinions on how past legislation has impacted upon Aboriginal people. She talks particularly about the removal of Aboriginal children from their families, and how a bipartisan aplogoy is important for improving conditions for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Her Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce AC, as Governor of Queensland, talks about her emotional response to the Prime Minister's apology, her role in Indigenous issues and how she first learnt about the Stolen Generation in 1978.
Last updated: 14th August 2009
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