ATSIC 5 May 1999 A Journey from the Heart Today's inauguration of the Journey of Healing will add impetus to Australia's progress along the path of reconciliation, the ATSIC Chairman, Gatjil Djerrkura, said. This morning in Central Australia the National Sorry Day Committee launched a Journey of Healing under the patronage of former Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Malcolm Fraser AC CH, and former ATSIC chairperson, Dr Lowitja O'Donoghue AC CBE AM. The journey began at Uluru - the heart of Australia. Elders of the local Mutitjulu community conducted a ceremony and handed message sticks to members of the Stolen Generations from every State and Territory. Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous Australians will carry the message sticks back to their States and Territories, where events will be held in cities, towns and rural centres to launch the Journey on 26 May 1999 - the first anniversary of Sorry Day. "The Journey of Healing carries the motto 'Recognition, Unity, Commitment' and these values are essential for shaping respect and appreciation throughout Australia," Mr Djerrkura said. "Not one Indigenous person has escaped the effects of the policies of forced removal. "Last year, hundreds of thousands of Australians from all walks of life expressed their sorrow for past policies. The Journey of Healing offers the whole community the chance to take the next step - to help heal the consequences. "The Journey gives all of us the chance to play a part. It could inspire a rolling action of initiatives all over the country, bringing communities together and encouraging a social transformation at grass-roots level. "I urge all Australians to walk with us on this Journey of Healing." Media contacts: Brian Johnstone 02 6289 3307 Martin Freckmann 02 6289 3399 ------------------------------------------------------- RecOzNet2 has a page @ http://www.green.net.au/recoznet2 and is archived at http://www.mail-archive.com/ To unsubscribe from this list, mail [EMAIL PROTECTED], and in the body of the message, include the words: unsubscribe announce or click here mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20announce This posting is provided to the individual members of this group without permission from the copyright owner for purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship and research under the "fair use" provisions of the Federal copyright laws and it may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner, except for "fair use." RecOzNet2 is archived for members @ http://www.mail-archive.com/
