Hume City Council is seeking the thoughts of members of the Stolen Generation and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community about a permanent Stolen Generations Marker in Hume.
The marker will pay tribute to the Stolen Generations – Aboriginal children who were forcibly removed from their families and communities through race-based policies implemented by State and Federal Governments between 1910 and the 1970s.
Mayor of Hume City, Councillor Carly Moore said the policies in place until the 1970s denied the Stolen Generation of identity, traditional culture and country. Council is deeply committed to recognising the experiences of Aboriginal families impacted by these past policies.
"This project is part of Hume City Council's Reconciliation Action Plan 2018-2022 and a permanent marker will serve to provide a place for Stolen Generations and all Australians to reflect on historical wrongs and help our communities to find a sense of peace, identity and belonging," Cr Moore said.
Tracey Evans, a Gunditjmara-Bundjalung woman said that her mother was a stolen child and that this marker will acknowledge the history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children being stolen from their loved ones and hope for a better future for our stolen generation and their families.
"I hope it will become a place where as a community we can come together to heal and for all residents of Hume to visit a place of respect - a space of quiet refection," Ms Evans said.
The location of the Stolen Generations Marker will be determined through a consultation process with members of the Stolen Generations and members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community that have a strong connection to the Hume area.
The focus of the consultation is to:
- provide information about Council's commitment to a Stolen Generations Marker as part of the Hume City Council's Reconciliation Action Plan 2018-2022;
- establish relationships and seek ongoing input from impacted Hume residents;
- seek advice and recommendations about the messages that the marker needs to convey about the Stolen Generations;
- seek recommendations of suitable locations for the placement of the Marker;
- seek guidance on the preferred features of a Marker; and
- seek expressions-of-interest to be part of a Hume Stolen Generations Marker Working Group that will guide the project.
