National Sorry Day and National Reconciliation Week 2023

National Sorry Day: 26 May

At Coolock, students led an assembly with an Acknowledgement of Country, followed by pledges for action, such as:

Today is Sorry Day. I pledge today and always…

Today I will treat everyone equally and fairly.

Today I will respect the rights of others.

Today I will be sensitive & thoughtful to those around me.

National Sorry Day is a day of commemoration and remembrance for members of the Stolen Generations – the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children forcibly removed from their families, communities and cultures between the 1800s and the 1970s. The first Sorry Day was held in Sydney on 26 May 1998 and has been commemorated nationally on 26 May each year since, with thousands of Australians from all walks of life participating in memorial services, commemorative meetings, survival celebrations and community gatherings in honour of the Stolen Generations.

National Reconciliation Week: 27 May – 3 June

‘Be a Voice for Generations’

This year’s theme urges us to keep up the momentum for change.

NRW encourages all Australians to be a voice for reconciliation in their everyday lives – where they live, learn, work and socialise.

“This National Reconciliation Week we acknowledge the many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nations across Australia, who have had continued connection to their Country since time  immemorial. We especially remember 27 May and 3 June, two dates that are important to all Australians. 27 May marks the anniversary of the 1967 referendum when Australians voted overwhelmingly for a change in the Constitution and 3 June is Mabo Day, which commemorates Mer Island man Eddie Koiki Mabo and his successful efforts to overturn the legal fiction of terra nullius, or ‘land belonging to no-one’. We pay tribute to the Elders who have come before and used their voice for change for a better future for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We honour today’s Elders who continue to advocate for Reconciliation through voice, treaty and truth-telling.”