National Reconciliation Week: Time to Remember, Reflect and Move Forward Together

National Reconciliation Week (NRW) in Australia (27 May – 3 June) is held to celebrate Indigenous history and culture and to celebrate and promote respectful relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and other Australians.

National Reconciliation Week this year holds extra significance for all Australians. It is 50 years since the 1967 referendum, and 25 years since the historic Mabo decision. It’s also 20 years (26 May 1997) since the Bringing Them Home report was tabled in Federal  Parliament, exposing the extent of forced removals of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families as a result of various government policies (1910 – 1970).

The theme this year is ‘Let’s Take the Next Steps’. We are all asked to be a part of the next big steps in our nation’s reconciliation journey.

As we prepare to move forward together, this week offers non-Indigenous Australians a chance to learn more about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and culture.

Here are some other sites you might explore:
Reconciliation Australia
Stand for Recognition
Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies

You might also like to visit the SSJG Heritage Centre which tells the story of the ministry of the Sisters of St John of God in the Kimberley region of Western Australia for over 110 years.