Today was an extremely important day for our Senior Cultural Educator Richard Fejo, who presented a beautiful Welcome to Country at the Australian Centre for Indigenous Knowledges and Education at Charles Darwin University in Darwin. Richard was invited as part of the viewing of his mother’s original ‘Apology to the Stolen Generations’ document, one of only three in Australia, which has been designated a significant heritage item. The document is currently entrusted to the Northern Territory Library for preservation.

Read Richard Fejo’s full Welcome to Country below.

Welcome to Country for the Apology to the Stolen Generations

Good morning ladies and gentlemen,

It is truly my privilege to provide this welcome to country on this very special and significant occasion at Charles Darwin University, firstly for my mother who always told us children that families come first. This simple sentence carries so much meaning and her amazing life and her amazing story has brought us all here today to celebrate the role she and our elders have played leading to the original apology to the stolen generations from the Australian Prime Minister to all Indigenous Australian’s who endured throughout this period of Australian history.

I would like to also acknowledge my aunties, uncles, elders and countrymen from across Australia who also endured throughout this period because there is a story within every Indigenous family that can be told of how the period known as the stolen generation has impacted on them, and I extend this acknowledgement to their children and grandchildren across Australia.

But today as we come together, we need to acknowledge our past as we need to also celebrate our achievements.

I remember that on the day of the original apology I was working our bush at a community I will not name, away from everything, focused on the job that I was doing. I was completely oblivious to even hearing that the Australian Government was going to present an apology to the Indigenous people of Australia. I had no idea of my mother’s role because mum or anyone else who know of the planned apology was not allowed to say anything due to national security; I didn’t even know what brothers and sisters had prior knowledge of this event.

So on the day before the Apology, I was working out in the bush courts as a field officer, getting instructions from Indigenous clients due to attend court. At the end of the day, we had worked through the court list and while we were walking back to our accommodation, there was unusual movement in the community, people rushing here and people rushing there. I was walking with the lawyer I was working with and the Magistrate, who all three had flown there the day before.

Feeling a little cautious, the lawyer asked me what was going on so I went to investigate. When I returned I said that the Australian Prime Minister Mr Kevin Rudd was going to apologise to the Stolen Generation of Indigenous children who were taken from their families. But where I was staying in the service provider’s accommodation, the TV was not working so I asked the lawyer if she was going to watch the apology and if I could come and watch it with her. She said that she was not going to watch it, and a little surprised, I said ‘Oh, OK’. But then the female magistrate said, ‘You can come and watch it with me Richie’, and I beamed a big smile at her and said, ‘Yeah, no worries’.

When they stopped at their accommodation and we say we would catch up tomorrow, I kept walking as I had a little way to go to get to mine when a local standing by his fence called out and told me that the council was bringing in a big screen TV and putting on breakfast for the whole community. I was so excited and decided to bring the magistrate and not the lawyer.

The next morning I picked up the magistrate and we went to watch but when it started and I heard my mum’s name, everything stopped and the magistrate looked at me and says, ‘Richie do you know this woman’, and I said ‘That’s my mum’. Well everyone had tears of pride and joy, but no more than this magistrate and me. In fact when things seemed to calm down, we were still crying and someone walked over to us both and asked if we were OK and the magistrate said, ‘That lady is this man’s mother’ and then it all started up again.

So as we celebrate here today, I ask that you think back and remember where you were on that historical day.

You have come by way of Larrakia land,
While you are here you will hear the voices of our ancestors,
When you leave, you will take the Larrakia message with you…

May our ancestors guide and protect you always. Thank you.

NTGPE have released the 2014 GPR Handbook, this comprehensive handbook provides information about all things GPR with interactive links to useful documentation/websites.

GP Registrar Handbook 2014