[HOME]
APOLOGY - 13 FEB 2008
On the 13th February 2008, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd formally apologized to the Stolen Generation
for the injustices they had endured under past government policies and practices.
The long awaited Apology, previously rejected by former Prime Minister John Howard,
was met with enthusiasm, cheers, tears and a promise for the future.
Link-Up (Qld) staff attended a breakfast at Brisbane Parliament House where a
"Welcome to Country" ceremony
was performed for the first time in parliamentary history.
The Speaker of the House, Mike Reynolds, introduced guest speakers to the podium prior to
Kevin Rudd's televised Apology, including an emotional Queensland Premier, Anna Bligh,
Opposition Secretary, Fiona Simpson and Brisbane Elder, Hughie Kirk who performed a rendition of
"Advanced Australia Fair" using a gum leaf.
[ Top ]
Responses to the Apology
The Honourable Anna Bligh MP Premier of Queensland
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=ryJkxgU6wtM
Her Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce AC - Governor of Queensland
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=nvu5tXYxYis&feature=related
A letter from a concerned Australian
A letter was received at the Link-Up (Qld) office via email on the 13th February 2008 from Kathy Jenny Pearson, a non-Indigenous Australian citizen. The letter re-enforces the ideal of reconciliation and a positive look to the future for all Australians. Kathy has granted us permission to share her thoughts with the rest of Australia and the world.
Click on the following link to view her letter. Kathy's letter
[ Top ]
 |
Last updated Thursday, 18-Dec-2008
