Bringing Them Home Report
One of the most widespread and damaging assaults on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia has been the forced separation of children from their families. This occurred in every state and territory from the late 1800s until well into the 1970s. Thousands of children were taken from their families during this period, and have become known as the Stolen Generations. Bringing Them Home, the 1997 Report of the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from their Families, detailed evidence of the forced removals and provided 54 recommendations to help address the complex issues arising from this practice.
Web: www.austlii.edu.au/au/other/IndigLRes/stolen/
Journey of Healing
The recommendations of the Bringing Them Home report focused on ways of helping Aboriginal people through the consequences of separation, and were also aimed at fostering a healing process benefiting all Australians. One of the recommendations was that a ‘Sorry Day’ be held, which stirred over half a million people to take part in commemorations all over the country. In 1999, this people’s movement launched a ‘Journey of Healing’ that continues to observe 26 May as a focus for bringing home the Stolen Generations. https://healingfoundation.org.au/
Link-Up (NSW) Aboriginal Corporation
Founded in 1980, Link-Up works with Aboriginal adults who were separated from their families under when they were children, aiming to reconnect them with their roots and with their Aboriginal identity.
PO Box 93 Lawson NSW 2783
Phone: (02) 4759 1911 Fax: (02) 4759 2607
Email: linknsw@pnc.com.au or linkup@nsw.link-up.org.au
Sorry Book Online Exhibition (AIATSIS)
Explains the background to the Sorry Books, which were seen as an opportunity for Australians who wanted to do something in response to the Federal Government’s refusal to make a formal apology to the Stolen Generations. The site displays a selection of messages written in the Sorry Books and gives the opportunity to add a message in the Online Exhibition Visitors’ Book.
Web: www.aiatsis.gov.au/lbry/dig_prgm/sorrybooks/sorrybooks_hm.htm