Bass Coast community event for National Sorry Day to help heal
The Bass Coast Reconciliation Network invites the community to acknowledge the mistreatment of Australia’s Stolen Generation and promote healing on National Sorry Day with a community gathering at Cape Paterson Surf Life Saving Club.
The community will come together in a collective show of reconciliation between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous Australians on May 26 to recognise the important date of significance.
National Sorry Day, also known as the National Day of Healing, is an annual commemoration that acknowledges the mistreatment of First Nations children who were forcibly removed from their families, communities and cultures.
First Nations community member and co-Chair of the Network, Dr Bev Munro said, “Sorry Day provides us an opportunity to reflect on the Stolen Generations and the pain and suffering past practices have caused. However, we need to also reflect on our current practices as a community. The recent report ‘Are you waiting for us to die?’ notes that only 6% of recommendations made to support the Stolen Generation have been implemented. These recommendations were made almost 28 years ago. How sorry are we as a country if this is our response?”
Bass Coast Reconciliation Network (the Network) co-Chair, Kate Lochlin said, “Sorry Day was an important day for the whole community to acknowledge the pain and suffering caused by the forced removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.”
“The Cape Paterson gathering on National Sorry Day provides us with an opportunity to think of all the children and their families of the Stolen Generation and the heartache endured by their forced separation,” Ms Lochlin said.
“We encourage the community to join us in a collective commitment to healing and support for First Nations.”
“Everyone, including children, are invited to be part of the gathering at Cape Paterson Surf Life Saving Club from 10am to 1pm to acknowledge the strength of Stolen Generation survivors and reflect on how we can play our part in the healing process.”
The Bass Coast Reconciliation Network includes membership from Bass Coast Shire Council, Bass Coast Health, Westernport Water, Phillip Island Nature Parks, Bunurong Land Council, Bass Coast South Gippsland Reconciliation Group, Myli – My Community Libraries, West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members.
The gathering will include a Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony by Bunurong man, Robert Ogden and a guest speaker from the local Aboriginal community, followed by a light lunch, yarns and music by Fonzie (Paul) Patten.
For more information, visit https://www.basscoast.vic.gov.au/community-support-services/reconciliation
View the invitation to the community gathering here : 2025-Sorry-Day-invitation-1.pdf