My artwork is about a book we read called The Burnt Stick, which is about the Stolen Generation. This is a time in Australia’s history when Aboriginal children were stolen from their family and taken across the country to a completely different place, where they were treated poorly. My poems and art show the difference between where a child came from and was sent to. He would never be happy at the mission because he had no family there and it wasn’t his Country. My art links to reconciliation because it is learning about the past and learning so the future can never follow this way. It links to Caring for Country because it shows the depth of connection Aboriginal people have to their Country.

Reconciliation means …Reconciliation means learning about the past, and making sure the bad parts never happen again. It is when we look back on the past and say sorry on behalf of the people who took the children away, as they now cannot say it themselves. We acknowledge the past and hope for the future to be better.

Author: Audrey Mullins – Year 4

What the judges said: “Clever contrast of mission and reserve life, different contexts, quite creative, sincere and effortful”