Thank you Kevin for having the guts to use the S words – Sorry and Stolen.

Thank you to the authors of “Bringing them Home”, the 1997 report which received such a stony and stubborn silence for so long.

Thank you to all the people who have cared about justice for the Stolen Generations.


Everyone i spoke to cried yesterday. i had tears welling up all day.

Yes, there are problems our nation must face; yes there are people who continue to weasel their way around the facts, or who stare into the face of pain and refuse to see it. Of course, there’s no chance of short-term solutions. But at last, the whole freaking parliament has begun to open up to the reality of what happened in our past.

I’m staying focussed on the positive, me. Nothing can spoil such a day. Pauline’s gone, Jeanette’s fossil-brained hero is out of the Lodge, and Kevin is at the helm. Go Kev.

What about this? A man who leads his opponents into compassion, rather than into fear or abusing them! Kevin pulls out the understandascope:

Mr Rudd acknowledged that some Australians were still opposed to saying sorry.

“I say to non-indigenous Australians — imagine for a moment if this had happened to you,” he said.

My favourite moment was when he spoke about Nungala Fejo, and had asked what she would like him to say.

A sombre Mr Rudd told an emotional story about an Aboriginal woman, Nungala Fejo, who was taken from her family outside Tennant Creek in 1930s and never saw her mother again.

“I asked Nanna Fejo what she would have me say today about her story. She thought for a few moments, then said that what I should say was that all mothers are important.

“And she added: ‘Families — keeping them together is very important. It’s a good thing that you are surrounded by love and that love is passed down the generations. That’s what gives you happiness’.”

How long since a leader of the nation used the word love on the floor of parliament?

mmmmmm, sweet honest compassion is such a joy and a relief.

Much better than mean-spirited wrangling with words and evasion etc ..

Lots of people writing about this one ..

• Dale writes about the joy of being in the heart of Redfern;
• Ms Fits takes up one of the members for his lack of manners;
• Ali Cobby Eckermann explains why people turned their backs;
• Richard Flanagan mentions the occasion as he launches an important new history: Van Diemen’s Land;
• Sarah rips up Nelson’s ideas, with fury and indignation;
• Jo Blue congratulates Kev from overseas: “it takes guts to admit mistakes”;
• Richard gives a serve to people making excuses and papering over the facts;
  
• Xavier printed up his concise version of brendan’s response (language warning);
  

mmm, i enjoyed reading all these people and more

(Full Text over at The Age, plus some extended videos on youTube, and the abc has plenty)