Deborah Sultan vividly remembers standing in a courthouse when she was 11 years-old and being declared a ward of the state. She’d never felt more alone.
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The Warracknabeal Aboriginal woman was taken from her grandfather’s house in Broken Hill by welfare authorities along with two of her sisters when she was just seven. Ms Sultan would spend the next five years of her life shifted between children’s homes all over Australia.
She only saw her dad a few more times before he died and she spent years at a time separated from her sisters and brother. But despite her harrowing childhood, Ms Sultan holds no resentment for her past.
“I have a beautiful family and I’ve been very lucky the way my life has turned out,” Ms Sutlan said. “I still often feel sad I missed those years with sisters and brother but I like to think that now it has made us even closer because we have been through that together.”
Thousands of Aboriginal children were forcibly removed from their homes between 1910 and 1970.
National Reconciliation Week (May 27 to June 30) celebrates and builds on the respectful relationships shared by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and other Australians. Ms Sultan said while it was an emotional time for many of the country’s first people, she tried to focus on the future.
“We need to be supporting the next generations of young people, not just Aboriginal kids but all kids,” Ms Sultan. “We need to give all our young people the opportunities we never had.”
Thursday marked National Sorry Day and to commemorate the occasion, crowds gathered at special civic reception ceremony at the Horsham Rural City Council offices. To mark the day, the council held a smoking ceremony with performances by traditional dancers and singers.
There will also be a traditional dance performance at Horsham College from 6pm on Friday night and a morning tea for Koori parents at Dimboola Primary School on Monday at 9am. Next week there is also an extensive array of events including a community celebration for elders at Federation University from Wednesday at 10am. There will also be a movie premiere of the Aboriginal film Surveying Gurru traditional, art festivals, guest speakers and breakfast events all week. Full details, call Goolum Goolum Aboriginal Co-operative on 5381 6333.
