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The advertisement above was placed in the February 29 edition of The West Australian.
I have nothing to add, except to say that I fully endorse the sentiments and I hope that anyone else who does will contact Mr. Fearis or one of the other signatories and let them know. Alternatively, leave your messages here in the comments section and I will get a hard copy to them.
Thank you.
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UPDATE: For more on the “stolen” generation, the “lost” generation, and sorry day, see these posts and the links contained in them.
2007 Deakin Lecture: Former Federal Minister for Indigenous Affairs Mal Brough
“Sorry Day” — February 13th, 2008
Mal Brough on The ‘Lost Generation’
**and please take the time to read this post: Please save these children.
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UPDATE #2: Hello to our visitors from other blogs, including Little Green Footballs. Blog-owners, thank you for linking to this post.
March 1, 2008, 12:34 am at 12:34 am
I fully endorse the sentiments too. Their points are quite correct.
March 1, 2008, 12:44 am at 12:44 am
Well put. I agree with their sentiments also.
March 1, 2008, 12:46 am at 12:46 am
Not knowing of…I trust valued friends opinions and beliefs. Therefore, I am with them, shoulder to shoulder.
March 1, 2008, 12:47 am at 12:47 am
Excellent work, spot. I saw that advertisement, but I couldn’t get a link to that or the article about it.
And I agree with every word.
March 1, 2008, 1:08 am at 1:08 am
Thanks, guys. I’ll be posting some details of Monday’s Coroner’s Report into Deaths in the Kimberley later on. There’s no e-copy of it, so I’ll just post a few things that really stand out to me. It’s pretty brutal in places, and covers things many of us here already knew, but it still needs to be publicised.
Too many people are too complacent about stuff like this and it both frustrates and angers me. It’s like, “Well, we had our big Sorry Circus and now I feel really good, don’t bother me with true facts, I just want to move on to the next Noble Cause.”
March 1, 2008, 4:26 am at 4:26 am
Where do I sign?
March 1, 2008, 5:14 am at 5:14 am
This is absolutely brilliant.
To Neil Fearis, David Stephens, Professor David Flint AM, James Bell, John Kopcheff and Steven Logan: You, gentlemen, have my wholehearted support.
As you say, imagine if the time, energy and money which was devoted to the circus surrounding this Apology for the “Stolen Generations” had been devoted to some sort of practical initiatives in the areas of health, education and skills training.
No, it wouldn’t have been so easy, nor so glamorous. But it would have been right.
All of Australia could have been united in an effort to actually make things better for Aboriginal people. Instead, Australia stands divided. Shame, Kevin Rudd.
March 1, 2008, 5:23 am at 5:23 am
The problem with officially designating one race of people “Victims” is that by default you have designated all other races of people as “Victimizers” and “Oppressors.”
How is that supposed to lead towards this magical “Reconciliation”?
March 1, 2008, 5:44 am at 5:44 am
I am an Australian serving overseas, and all I can say about that letter is, ABOUT TIME someone stood up and said something so sensible. The reports in the press make it sound like right up until Sorry Day, all Australians were racists who wanted to kill off all the Aborigines.
I am not ashamed to be Australian. I have never done anything to an Aboriginal that I feel I need to apologise for, and I do not believe that my Government has either.
Not in my name either, Mr Rudd.
March 1, 2008, 9:11 am at 9:11 am
I fully endorse the sentiments expressed