National Sorry Day: A statement from our CEO Gerard Jose in National Reconciliation Week
- Tuesday 26 May 2020
![Staff Leanne Oberin, CEO Gerard Jose and our Bendigo NAIDOC committee representative Dale Hardy with the BCHS Aboriginal flag after last year’s NAIDOC Week smoking ceremony at the Bendigo Town Hall.](/images/blog/NAidoc.jpg)
National Reconciliation Week incorporates two very important days in Australian history: National Sorry Day (May 26) and Mabo Day (June 3).
In This Together is the National Reconciliation Week theme this year which is more fitting now, than ever.
Today is National Sorry Day
While it’s much harder to publicly observe and participate in this year’s Sorry Day, it’s still very important to remember and acknowledge the mistreatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people forcibly removed from their families and communities and today known as ‘The Stolen Generations’.
National Sorry Day allows us to acknowledge the First Peoples of this Nation and reflect on how we can all play a part in the healing process for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It is important that we all as Australians join in this journey of healing and commemorate this day across the nation.
Recovery within communities requires understanding of the impact on people and accepting the truth of our history.
Bendigo Community Health Services is taking our own journey on the reconciliation path.