The Apology

I arrived in Australia in 1980.

Do me or mine owe the Indigenous Australians anything?

Yes.

I owe them respect as a culture for trying to get their shit together despite horrific historic circumstances.

I owe them respect for living in their homeland.
I owe them respect as human beings.

The Government owed them an apology. What has happened to Aboriginals as a people is a soul wound which will not heal overnight so it won't all be back to normal tomorrow.

It takes three generations for abuse for work itself out of the family 'psyche'. So two centuries of abuse is going to take a long time to heal.

I don't care if a person is a full blood or 1/16th (and I am talking about the apology here, not any welfare benefits) White Australia had to stand up and be taken to account for past injustices. If I have offended I don't care.

I will no longer accept the "I wasn't there". I wasn't responsible for the trail of tears yet I weep for the Native Americans. I wasn't a part of the African Slave trade yet I weep at the horror of that.

Indigenous cultures worldwide are owed an apology from the British, The Spanish, The Portuguese and the Dutch.

I am White, my priviledge in life has been my skin colour. My place in the world has been bought by slavery, drugs and the theft of native lands.