Latest news with #GreatSouthernAboriginalHealthService
West Australian
27-05-2025
- General
- West Australian
Stolen Generation symposium hears truth telling is key to community moving forward as Aboriginal allies
A panel of Aboriginal elders gave emotional accounts of their experiences as members of the Stolen Generation at a National Sorry Day symposium at Albany Entertainment Centre on Monday. The event was staged by the Southern Aboriginal Corporation and the Great Southern Aboriginal Health Service and attracted a wide audience of community members, Aboriginal elders and stakeholders. SAC chief executive Asha Bhat said the aim of the event was to acknowledge the courage of the Stolen Generations, their pain and their resilience. 'This event is a safe space, it's about truth telling and healing and the elders sharing their lived experiences. 'For the wider community, it's about listening, learning and standing in solidarity with Aboriginal people. 'Reconciliation starts with truth telling, so we must acknowledge and come together without forgetting about the history. 'The overwhelming presence of those at the event shows reconciliation is not too far away and that we can all walk alongside the Aboriginal people as allies.' Panellists Gary Ryder, and brothers Timothy and Ezzard Flowers had been taken to the Carrolup Settlement, later known as Marribank, near Katanning, as children. They explained that conditions there were harsh but it was the separation from their families at such a young age that meant eventual reunifications were made even more difficult. Ezzard had been taken there when he was just two years old, after his father died. 'It was difficult to reconnect with home, with country, with family and with those who were no longer there,' he said. 'They were terrifying times.' His brother Timothy said it was time to move forward. 'Sharing stories is part of the healing process,' he said. 'We came through that challenge on our own, as children. 'But now we can move forward together because walking together is better than walking alone.'
West Australian
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- West Australian
National Reconciliation Week 2025 sees City of Albany host free events in line with Bridging Now to Next theme
National Reconciliation Week will begin next week with Albany joining the annual call for all Australians to move forward together while reflecting on the nation's complicated history. The City of Albany and local Aboriginal corporations will support the 2025 NRW, under the theme Bridging Now to Next, by hosting a series of free community events from May 27 to June 3. A Sorry Day Symposium held by the Southern Aboriginal Corporation and Great Southern Aboriginal Health Service will kick off the week a day early on Monday. Held at the Albany Entertainment Centre from 9am to 1pm, the event will include a panel session consisting of Menang Noongar elders directly affected by the Stolen Generation. A special screening of the Genocide in the Wildflower State documentary will also be shown and light refreshments provided. Albany public library will offer free lunchtime film screenings, including In My Blood It Runs on Tuesday and The Habits of New Norcia on Wednesday, followed by a question and answer session with survivor Mary Wynne. On Thursday there will be cultural learning activities, storytelling and traditional food at a special Reconciliation Week Playgroup at the Child and Parent Centre, open to families from across the Great Southern. City of Albany chief executive Andrew Sharpe said the theme calls for Albany to take meaningful action now, and look ahead together. 'Reconciliation is an ongoing journey, and this year's theme reminds us that meaningful change relies on collective action,' he said. 'Supporting these events is one way we can help create spaces for truth-telling, cultural sharing and community healing.' Reconciliation banners showcasing the artwork of Noongar artist Darryl Dempster will also be displayed on Stirling Terrace and York Street throughout the week. The week-long event first began as the Week of Prayer for Reconciliation in 1993, before being officially rebranded to its current iteration in 1996 by the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation.
