National Sorry Day is held on 26 May each year, to remember and acknowledge the Stolen Generations, the history of forcible removals and their ongoing impacts.
The date marks the anniversary of the tabling of Bringing them home: Report of the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from Their Families to the Australian Parliament in 1997. Sorry Day is an initiative that represents one of the recommendations of the report. The colour purple is often associated with Sorry Day. This is the colour of the Native Hibiscus flower used by Stolen Generations survivors to recognise the scattering of the Stolen Generations and their strength and resilience. The flower survives in harsh conditions and the purple colour has been adopted as a symbol of compassion and healing.
The Stolen Generations refers to the tens of thousands of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who were forcibly removed from their families and communities between the early 1900s and the 1970s. Stolen Generations children were removed as part of deliberate assimilation policies adopted by all Australian governments. The children were sent to institutions or adopted by non-Indigenous families. They were separated from their culture, family, land and identity and many of them suffered abuse and neglect.
Baluk Arts acknowledges the missing children who were never found and those who were not able to return home.
A feature flower workshop will be held at the gallery on Friday 22nd May to commemorate this significant day.