ARMED with a fresh message of hope and unity, Albion Park High School held a moving National Sorry Day ceremony today (May 26).
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The day program was designed and coordinated by a group of year 10 students with the aim of shedding some light on Australia’s dark history by remembering and commemorating the mistreatment of the country’s indigenous population.
On the day there was a vocal ensemble performance by students followed by a moving solo performance by Justice Storer who angelically sung an acoustic version of Archie Roache’s track “Took The Children Away”.
Local indigenous guest speakers were also invited to share and contribute to the ceremony.
Teacher Alex Gregoriou said with such a large portion of Indigenous students at the Albion Park high she handed planning the event over to them.
“Our year 10 history class planned it all by themselves and I just supervised,” she said.
“I wanted it to come from the kids.
“This year I’ve noticed that the non-indigenous students have shown some deep understanding of National Sorry Day and what that means, and shown a lot of empathy.
“It has been a very special and fantastic day. It’s such a great event. It creates a real unity among the kids and really helps them all get along.”
Guest speakers inspired a crowd of year 7-10 students and their invited family and friends.
Uncle Gee (Gerald Brown) shared his story about education at a time when Aboriginal members of the community weren’t able to attend the local school, and took it upon themselves to learn how to read and write.
Former Warilla High School student Layne Brown talked about what it was like growing up as an indigenous man and what he hoped students took from the National Sorry Day commemoration.
“I want you to move away from the word sorry and move forward,” he said, “As the new generation. Gather your own thoughts and feelings to make your own decision about how it makes you feel.”