We come together today to offer our nation's apology. To say to you, the Forgotten Australians, and those who were sent to our shores as children without their consent, that we are sorry. Sorry that as children you were taken from your families and placed in institutions where so often you were abused. Sorry for the physical suffering, the emotional starvation and the cold absence of love, of tenderness, of care.
Sorry for the tragedy, the absolute tragedy, of childhoods lost. Childhoods spent instead in austere and authoritarian places where names were replaced by numbers, spontaneous play by regimented routine, the joy of learning by the repetitive drudgery of menial work.
The truth is, this is an ugly story. The truth is great evil has been done.
Kevin Rudd
Parliament House 16/11/09
1 comment:
Many American's are not aware of the "The Forgotten". I have been aware since my twenties and it is heartbreaking what happened to the forgotten children. I have talked about this subject many times to people here in America and not one person has ever known what I was talking about. Very sad!
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