By Mel Ruthen
29 May 2019
National Sorry Day is held on 26 May each year to remember and commemorate the mistreatment of the country’s Aboriginal People. The date carries great significance for the Stolen Generations.
As part of Relationships Australia South Australia’s (RASA) commitment to cultural fitness, they have chaired the National Sorry Day in the North committee. In 2018, they welcomed John Hartley Primary School to the committee.
Through their involvement students, teachers and Aboriginal workers collaborated to develop the Stolen Generations Honour Walk through the Primary School
The walk was filled with art and children who sang the Sorry Day Song as Stolen Generations members passed through. The honour walk was extremely emotional for all involved.
After the walk RASA, offered to record the song and create a short documentary asking the children.
Prior to the recording session, RASA visited the school and interviewed the ten children selected to participate. They asked:
- What does Sorry Day mean to you?
- What message do you hope people will hear by listening to your song?
- How do you feel about recording at Northern Sound System?
After the recording, staff from RASA compiled the footage from the interviews and the recording session to make a short documentary on the experience. BASEM3NT Studios worked on the final edit of the video, producing a short documentary.
John Hartley School Sorry Day Song from Relationships Australia SA on Vimeo
MelissaRuthen is Community Projects Coordinator at the Specialised Family Violence Family Relationship Centre & Specialised Family Violence Service at Relationships Australia South Australia