As the kids ran around playing with the ball,
I thought about the past, and it was not like this at all.
The past was not filled of joyful expression,
It was filled with sadness, no hope and lots of depression.
I remember the men with weapons in their hands,
Mum on her knees banging against the sands’.
As the sun was setting, the trucks drove away,
Kids in them were crying, along the whole way.
Families praying, hoping they would come back,
I knew they wouldn’t, we all knew that.
We gathered around the fire looking at the stars all night,
There were no shooting stars, and no end in sight.
When I think of the past, I think of trauma and distress,
I have changed my thoughts now and can see little progress.
I know we still have a long way to go,
But the past is important, even though it was a long time ago.
I count on us all to change the circumstance,
We need to take action now so we don’t miss our chance.
Under one sky, we stand together,
Yesterday, today, and now forever.
Author’s statement:
My piece is about the Stolen Generations. I wrote about this to make everyone aware of what happened in the past. The past was a very tragic time for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We can’t go back but we can look back and learn from our mistakes. My poem relates to reconciliation because I am making reference to the immoral acts that happened in the past. I’m acknowledging the wrong doings and the damage done which can’t be changed but the future can be from the lessons learnt. I know that we haven’t done enough, and can still take action to fix racism and learn more about our First Nations peoples and their cultures. This year’s poster inspired me to sympathise with the young girl and try to imagine what it would have been like during the Stolen Generations. So, I wrote about this to make other people sympathise with the young girl too and put themselves in her shoes and imagine what it would have been like. Everyone is different, but we are all connected by the sky and should stand together as one and take action now!
Reconciliation means…
The process of restoring respect and trust between wider Australian and Indigenous communities. It means to acknowledge the wrongdoings of the past, restore the relationships and to forgive the immoral acts of predecessors.
Author: Emily Brand
Year 6
Many of these resources and activities have been developed in consultation with NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) to ensure that the program meets NSW curriculum outcomes for Stages 3, 4 & 5.
Reconciliation NSW aims to create a reconciled, just and equitable community for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and other Australians. We work to inform, support and inspire people to engage in reconciliation.
E: schools@reconciliationnsw.org.au
T: 02 8095 9600
Ground Floor 27 Cope St Redfern 2016
