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.'
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Industrial threats to Aboriginal rock art and other ancient sites will be in focus when the World Archaeological Congress meets in Australia for the first time. Hosted by Flinders and Charles Darwin Universities, the week-long conference will welcome thousands of delegates from more than 70 countries to Darwin from Sunday. One of the stated aims of the congress is to advance global policy, "especially as it relates to the protection of heritage". The event comes just weeks after the federal government gave Woodside's North West Shelf project - which hosts Australia's biggest gas export plant - the green light to keep operating until 2070. The project on Western Australia's Burrup Peninsula is home to renowned ancient rock art at Murujuga, and the energy giant still has to accept conditions on heritage and air quality before the approval becomes official. 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She hoped more young Indigenous people would train as archaeologists to better understand and protect Country. Aboriginal rangers would also benefit from learning about ancient sites so they could better protect them, Ms Cummings said. The congress brings together archaeologists, heritage professionals, anthropologists, historians, and Indigenous leaders and community members from across the globe. Flinders University archaeologist Claire Smith said the event offered a remarkable opportunity for leading thinkers to "explore and reflect on our shared past". Industrial threats to Aboriginal rock art and other ancient sites will be in focus when the World Archaeological Congress meets in Australia for the first time. Hosted by Flinders and Charles Darwin Universities, the week-long conference will welcome thousands of delegates from more than 70 countries to Darwin from Sunday. One of the stated aims of the congress is to advance global policy, "especially as it relates to the protection of heritage". The event comes just weeks after the federal government gave Woodside's North West Shelf project - which hosts Australia's biggest gas export plant - the green light to keep operating until 2070. The project on Western Australia's Burrup Peninsula is home to renowned ancient rock art at Murujuga, and the energy giant still has to accept conditions on heritage and air quality before the approval becomes official. Scientists are concerned emissions from the nearby gas plant are eroding rock surfaces and harming the famed petroglyphs at the site. In May 2020, Rio Tinto's destruction of the 46,000-year-old Juukan Gorge rock shelters in the Pilbara left traditional custodians devastated and caused global outrage, prompting the mining giant to apologise. Meanwhile, cultural heritage laws in WA and the Northern Territory have come under fire for not adequately protecting sacred and ancient sites. Eileen Cummings, a Charles Darwin University fellow and co-chair of the conference's Indigenous Elders Committee, said the protection of Aboriginal rock art and ancient sites would be discussed at the congress. "For a long time, we were worried about our sacred sites but now our people are starting to look at the sites that are archaeological, so they can get trained in that area to look after those areas," she told AAP. She hoped more young Indigenous people would train as archaeologists to better understand and protect Country. Aboriginal rangers would also benefit from learning about ancient sites so they could better protect them, Ms Cummings said. The congress brings together archaeologists, heritage professionals, anthropologists, historians, and Indigenous leaders and community members from across the globe. Flinders University archaeologist Claire Smith said the event offered a remarkable opportunity for leading thinkers to "explore and reflect on our shared past". Industrial threats to Aboriginal rock art and other ancient sites will be in focus when the World Archaeological Congress meets in Australia for the first time. Hosted by Flinders and Charles Darwin Universities, the week-long conference will welcome thousands of delegates from more than 70 countries to Darwin from Sunday. One of the stated aims of the congress is to advance global policy, "especially as it relates to the protection of heritage". The event comes just weeks after the federal government gave Woodside's North West Shelf project - which hosts Australia's biggest gas export plant - the green light to keep operating until 2070. The project on Western Australia's Burrup Peninsula is home to renowned ancient rock art at Murujuga, and the energy giant still has to accept conditions on heritage and air quality before the approval becomes official. Scientists are concerned emissions from the nearby gas plant are eroding rock surfaces and harming the famed petroglyphs at the site. In May 2020, Rio Tinto's destruction of the 46,000-year-old Juukan Gorge rock shelters in the Pilbara left traditional custodians devastated and caused global outrage, prompting the mining giant to apologise. Meanwhile, cultural heritage laws in WA and the Northern Territory have come under fire for not adequately protecting sacred and ancient sites. Eileen Cummings, a Charles Darwin University fellow and co-chair of the conference's Indigenous Elders Committee, said the protection of Aboriginal rock art and ancient sites would be discussed at the congress. "For a long time, we were worried about our sacred sites but now our people are starting to look at the sites that are archaeological, so they can get trained in that area to look after those areas," she told AAP. She hoped more young Indigenous people would train as archaeologists to better understand and protect Country. Aboriginal rangers would also benefit from learning about ancient sites so they could better protect them, Ms Cummings said. The congress brings together archaeologists, heritage professionals, anthropologists, historians, and Indigenous leaders and community members from across the globe. Flinders University archaeologist Claire Smith said the event offered a remarkable opportunity for leading thinkers to "explore and reflect on our shared past". Industrial threats to Aboriginal rock art and other ancient sites will be in focus when the World Archaeological Congress meets in Australia for the first time. Hosted by Flinders and Charles Darwin Universities, the week-long conference will welcome thousands of delegates from more than 70 countries to Darwin from Sunday. One of the stated aims of the congress is to advance global policy, "especially as it relates to the protection of heritage". The event comes just weeks after the federal government gave Woodside's North West Shelf project - which hosts Australia's biggest gas export plant - the green light to keep operating until 2070. The project on Western Australia's Burrup Peninsula is home to renowned ancient rock art at Murujuga, and the energy giant still has to accept conditions on heritage and air quality before the approval becomes official. Scientists are concerned emissions from the nearby gas plant are eroding rock surfaces and harming the famed petroglyphs at the site. In May 2020, Rio Tinto's destruction of the 46,000-year-old Juukan Gorge rock shelters in the Pilbara left traditional custodians devastated and caused global outrage, prompting the mining giant to apologise. Meanwhile, cultural heritage laws in WA and the Northern Territory have come under fire for not adequately protecting sacred and ancient sites. Eileen Cummings, a Charles Darwin University fellow and co-chair of the conference's Indigenous Elders Committee, said the protection of Aboriginal rock art and ancient sites would be discussed at the congress. "For a long time, we were worried about our sacred sites but now our people are starting to look at the sites that are archaeological, so they can get trained in that area to look after those areas," she told AAP. She hoped more young Indigenous people would train as archaeologists to better understand and protect Country. Aboriginal rangers would also benefit from learning about ancient sites so they could better protect them, Ms Cummings said. The congress brings together archaeologists, heritage professionals, anthropologists, historians, and Indigenous leaders and community members from across the globe. Flinders University archaeologist Claire Smith said the event offered a remarkable opportunity for leading thinkers to "explore and reflect on our shared past".
