February 19, 2018
The Cherbourg community marked the 10th anniversary of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s Apology to the Stolen Generations with a special get-together at The Ration Shed last week.
Families gathered in the open-air meeting place at the end of the building to listen to live entertainment from local musicians Andrew Beckett, Rocko Langton and Steve Hart.
Guest speaker Eric Law said he never thought he would live to see the day when an Australian Prime Minister would say “sorry”.
However, he said there were still things to achieve.
“We need to start doing something ourselves,” he said.
He urged people to be proud of their culture, and make sure young people get a good education.
“Without an education they cannot carry on the fight for us,” he said.
Cherbourg residents listened quietly as James Hopkins read the words that Kevin Rudd said a decade ago in Parliament.
And just like 10 years ago, there were tears in a few eyes …