Sorry Speech

Here is the full text of PM Rudd's apology to the stolen generations.

"Today we honour the Indigenous peoples of this land, the oldest continuing cultures in human history.
We reflect on their past mistreatment.
We reflect in particular on the mistreatment of those who were Stolen Generations - this blemished chapter in our nation's history.

The time has now come for the nation to turn a new page in Australia's history by righting the wrongs of the past and so moving forward with confidence to the future.
We apologise for the laws and policies of successive Parliaments and governments that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians.
We apologise 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.
We the Parliament of Australia respectfully request that this apology be received in the spirit in which it is offered as part of the healing of the nation.
For the future we take heart; resolving that this new page in the history of our great continent can now be written.
We today take this first step by acknowledging the past and laying claim to a future that embraces all Australians.
A future where this Parliament resolves that the injustices of the past must never, never happen again.
A future where we harness the determination of all Australians, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, to close the gap that lies between us in life expectancy, educational achievement and economic opportunity.
A future where we embrace the possibility of new solutions to enduring problems where old approaches have failed.
A future based on mutual respect, mutual resolve and mutual responsibility.
A future where all Australians, whatever their origins, are truly equal partners, with equal opportunities and with an equal stake in shaping the next chapter in the history of this great country, Australia."

On my Mind

Oh dear and my, oh my, how long it has been since I sat down and wrote something to put on this little page of mine.

I have (sort of) made peace with CSN in that they let me pay by three instalments instead of four and I don't have to pay any extra fees. This new savings scheme still makes me as poor as a pauper and I don't like it one bit. Am I never going to have some money left over at the end of the week/fortnight/month/year? I am well into my thirties and stillcan't support myself. Pathetic. To add insult to injury, I am going to only work four days a week from now on. This is the only way I can write and finish my thesis. The plan is to have it finished in August.

What else has been on my mind lately? I miss pyttipanna som fan. The Sorry-speech was beautiful and it got really emotional. I really need a haircut and a colour. Why do our goldfish fight each other every morning after thay have had their food? I really need to get back into the habit of going to the gym. It has been weeks and weeks since I last stepped inside the gym and I am growing fatter by the minute.

A cockroach was seen running from underneath the paperwork down to the floor from the desk opposite mine at work yesterday and I nearly has a heart attack. A brave colleague quicky killed it (as I stood squealing in a corner) by stepping on it and that made me, if possible, even more nervous. Is it an urban myth, or does stepping on a cockroach really make the dying thing send for backup of more of the horrid little things. In other words, can I expect one walking across my desk sometime soon?

I'm off to eat a mango.