On the 26th of May this year, community gathered from across Melbourne for the launch of the Stolen Generation Marker in the Atherton Gardens in Fitzroy.
Photos & Video courtesy of the Yarra City Council.
It was a day of remembrance and honouring all who had been affected by the forced removal and institutionalisation of our Indigenous children.
Wurundjeri Elder Uncle Colin Hunter welcomes the crowd and performs a smoking ceremony.
Watch video highlights of the event - Courtesy of the Yarra City Council.
The launch began with a Welcome to Country by respected Wurundjeri Elder, Uncle Colin Hunter. He cleansed the space of negative energy with a smoking ceremony and invited all attendees to walk through it as a way to cleanse and heal themselves.
After the moving Welcome from Uncle Colin Hunter the marker was officially unveiled. Commissioned by Yarra City Council with support from the Victorian Government, the piece, Remember Me by Kamilaroi/Gamilaroi artist Reko Rennie was a beautiful tribute to those of the Stolen Generation.
The Djirri Djirri Dance Group along with the Koori Youth Will Shake Spears Dance Group took turns showcasing their traditional dances. At the end of the dances, a minute silence was held as a sign of respect.
To begin the festivities Djirri Djirri Dance Group and the Koori Youth Will Shake Spears Dance Group took turns showcasing their traditional dances. With a beautiful joint tribute at the end where they held a minutes silence around the fire in which time members of the community who were apart of the Stolen Generation were given the opportunity to come up to the fire and place a leaf in the flames as a type of personal healing.
Reko Rennie (Kamilaroi/Gamilaroi), the artist behind the piece 'Remember Me' - a tribute to those of the Stolen Generation. Commissioned by the Yarra City Council with the support of the Victorian Government.
To end the night we had amazing performances from Kutcha Edwards, Illana Atkinson and Deborah Cheetham as well as Uncle Jack Charles. You could really feel the strong sense of community, love and healing in the air as everyone,
Indigenous and non-Indigenous, got together to honour and remember our Stolen Generation.
