General News
4 June, 2026
Flags raised for National Sorry Day
FLAGS were raised at Northern Grampians Shire Council sites last week to mark National Sorry Day. Council held a ceremony at its Stawell chambers, attended by chief executive Brent McAlister, councillors Jack Blake and Jenny Greenberger, and community members Dave and Trish Long.
A council spokesperson said National Sorry Day acknowledged Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children forcibly removed from their families between the mid-1800s and 1980s, now referred to as the Stolen Generations.
The spokesperson said the day also commemorated the Bringing Them Home report, released by the Australian Human Rights Commission in 1997.
“Today is about reconciliation and healing and connects with National Reconciliation Week, which begins tomorrow, Wednesday, May 27 and runs through until June 3,” the spokesperson said.
“Council raised flags in Stawell and St Arnaud this morning as a sign of our commitment to creating a nation strengthened by respectful relationships between all people in our community.
“We all have a role to play when it comes to reconciliation, and in playing our part we collectively build relationships and communities that value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, histories, cultures and futures.”
Reconciliation Australia says National Sorry Day is held each year on May 26 to remember and acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who were forcibly removed from their families and communities.
The first National Sorry Day was held on May 26, 1998, one year after the Bringing Them Home report was tabled in Parliament.
Reconciliation Australia says the day also recognises the strength of Stolen Generations survivors and encourages Australians to reflect on their role in the healing process.
The commemoration leads into National Reconciliation Week, which runs from May 27 to June 3 each year.
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