On 26 May 1998, the first Sorry Day was held in Sydney, and it is a day now commemorated across Australia every year. This last week our students took part in assemblies that acknowledged Sorry Day.

Events like this are often controversial because we all hold quite different views and understandings of historical events and how we should respond to them. The school, in seeking to equip our students to live in future Australia, tries to steer a sound path through these potential controversies. We hope, in this not to be too controversial ourselves.

Sadly, I was not present at the assemblies as I was at a conference in Canberra - the annual National Policy Forum for Australian Christian Schools. However, I have heard that they were well received by our students.

On Sorry Day, we remember and grieve over past hurts done to Australian indigenous people. We commemorate the day to show our understanding and empathy towards those who have suffered the loss of family members or experienced removal from home and family themselves. We do not need to totally agree with all the accounts given of these past incidents to accept that actions were taken by previous governments and individuals that caused harm and loss.

In the same way that we say to someone who has lost a family member through death, “I am sorry for your loss,” we use the word sorry to identify with Aboriginal people who feel aggrieved by what was done. Using the word sorry in this way is not the same as apologising for our own actions or the actions of others. Rather, it is using the word in the way Aboriginal people use it – to express their grief at what happened.

Some people do not wish us to be apologising as though we are personally
responsible for the actions of the past. We are not. It is true that Kevin Rudd did offer an apology on behalf of the Australian Government and that was appropriate. We are wanting however, to acknowledge the pain felt by those who had family members forcibly removed and to identify with them. 

With the acceptance of our offer for a parcel of land in the Brewarrina Shire, we plan to ensure that our students get an opportunity to meet Aboriginal people from that region, hear their stories and understand the uniqueness of their culture and history. In this way we can help them consider how different cultures can respect each other and learn to live together in one country.

Phillip Nash