But there was a perpetual fear in his mother's eyes. It was the fear of losing her only child. She would often wake up in the middle of the night from a terrible nightmare and stretch her hand towards her sleeping son to ensure he was still there.
But then, the day came when her fears turned into reality. She lost Frank. Tears streamed down her eyes as she watched her son go. Within days of losing her son, she lost her mind. She spent the next seven years in a mental asylum. Finally, she lost her spirit and passed away.
Frank was "snatched" by government agents along with several other aboriginal children in order to be placed in white foster homes, orphanages and institutions. This was done under a government policy that tried to "civilize" the native aborigines and inculcate them with "European values". It was introduced in the late nineteenth century and continued through the 1960s.
Last week, the Australian government issued a formal apology for the past actions:
"We apologize for the laws and policies of successive Parliaments and governments that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians.
We apologize especially for the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, their communities and their country.
For the pain, suffering and hurt of these stolen generations, their descendants and for their families left behind, we say sorry.
To the mothers and the fathers, the brothers and the sisters, for the breaking up of families and communities, we say sorry.
And for the indignity and degradation thus inflicted on a proud people and a proud culture, we say sorry."
A first step in the healing process..
15 comments:
apologise...MY LEFT FOOT!!
their apologies can never make up for the hurt and damage they have done...
some wounds can never heal...
agree with pri above....but thats life I guess....everyone has their roles cut out - frank had his and so did his mom
@Pri - never say never .. with time, we all learn to forget if not forgive. And sometimes, its for the best.
@ceedy - I dont believe in "everyone has their roles". I guess its like saying its the person's fate or destiny. There has to be a system of justice in place for every wrong-doing.
But saying "Sorry" won't bring Frank's mom back. Besides, aren'tGovenment bodies there to protect citizens & their families. I say, realization is way too late altho'its good that they've atleast realized their follies now.
Oh boy...is this true!Thats disturbing. But the fact that they look back and apologize shows some kind of humanity and that they won't repeat it in the future. The ones who have suffered won't gain anything from it yea..but atleast thier pain has taught a lesson!
@romila - can we really trust the government ?? I think not.
@pavi - Its all very true. You can read all about it here. This is not isolated to one person .. thousands of children were "snatched".
well i dont mean in a negative sense that one should not do anything....
but think of it this way...for every case that is publicized there are others that dont even see daylight - what about such people
Apologies do not bring the child back, though. Maybe that particular mother may not even be in the right frame of mind to accept an apology. Maybe it is the first step in a healing process that may never be.
@ceedy - Agreed that not every case or injustice sees daylight. And justice is not served in each case. But that should never keep us from the pursuit of justice.
@solitaire - You are right.. many a times, the victims are long gone to bear the fruits of justice. But nevertheless, a judgement has to be passed, measures have to be taken so that a semblance of fairness is maintained.
yes i read those stories too. when it made headlines... but Wow. It takes a change of heart to realise a mistake but something more for a government to apologise like that in public..... they should really be feeling guilty now...
'It is better late than never i guess'
what do u expect from convicts man?
This is the least they can do is apologize.
@preethi - I agree .. better late than never.
@kp - I do not agree with your generalization and the word "convicts". Lets isolate the crime instead of isolating an entire community.
well what i meant is for the people who did this or committed this act ...not for everyone....:).
If you look at it...the people who did this. well they are "convicts" arent they?
Apology cannot bring something to normal.
You know I have thought long and hard about this and I am still not sure if this is a good thing or bad.
There should ALWAYS be an apology when something wrong is done but I think the reason that the apology is being given should be genuine. It should not say 'hey you know what this is a great opportunity to make people think I am such a great guy - anyway I didn't do anything wrong so lets apologize in a generic way'.
Anyway I think whats done can never be undone but if people have truly realized that what they did was wrong, at least they will see that it doesn't happen again (as far as possible).
@deepali - I agree with mostly what you said. As for the apology, I feel it was a genuine attempt on the part of the new australian government. As I said earlier, I believe it is a step in the right direction .. but it will be a long way before the wounds heal.
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