AT least one Eurobodalla youngster thinks Prime Minister Kevin Rudd can do more than his predecessor John Howard.
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Mogo Public School student Michael Mcfarlane explained what he knew of the Stolen Generation.
“The government used to take Aboriginal children away
a long way because they thought they would have a better education,” he said.
“He’s going to say sorry to the Aborigines...” student Taillah King started.
“... and John Howard couldn’t do it,” Michael finished.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd will apologise to the Stolen Generation this morning as the first item of business for the new Parliament, which he hopes will remove what he describes as a “blight on the nation’s soul.”
The Federal Government has gathered more than 100 members of the Stolen Generation in Canberra to hear the apology. In NSW, government schools have been told to fly the Aboriginal flag and stop lessons during the apology. Director-General Michael Coutts-Trotter has sent a message to schools saying “both are historic events for Aboriginal people and for all Australians”.
At Mogo Public, principal Jason Barby said students would participate in several Sorry Day-orientated lessons.
“They’re going to listen to the taped coverage and then do some artworks based on reconcilliation,” Mr Barby said.
He expected Sorry Day to hold greater meaning for the school’s extended community than the students themselves.
“It’ll probably mean a bit more to their parents, but we’ll ask them. Their answers will be raw,” he said.