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Emotional tributes have been shared in federal parliament 13 years on from the National Apology to the Stolen Generations.
Former prime minister Kevin Rudd delivered the historic apology on 13 February 2008, expressing remorse on behalf of the nation for the past treatment of Indigenous Australians by the federal government.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Monday repeated the sentiment during an address to parliament, declaring he too is truly sorry .
READ MORE Siblings separated. Adoptions without consent. Forced servitude. Welfare institutions devoid of all love or care. Parents searching for lost children. Grief, trauma, endless pain that cascaded through generations. Actions of brute force carried out under claims of good intentions, but in truth betrayed the ignorance of arrogance, knowing better than our Indigenous peoples, he said.
I’d be locked in there for hours - different days, different times, she said.
“I’d say a prayer that my real mum would come and get me. Take me home. I didn’t want to be there.”
It wasn’t until she turned 25 that Aunty Julie was finally reunited with her mother.
“She came out. I said, ‘Are you Patsy Black?’ and she said, ‘No. I’m your mum. I’m your mummy’. First cuddle I’ve had since I was a baby.”
Barkindji woman Julie Black was taken from her mother shortly after she was born.
Healing Foundation