22 May 2008
A new ending for the Sorry Song
'Sing sorry across this land' wrote the West Australian composer Kerry Fletcher in her 1998 Sorry Song. The inclusion of this song in the ABC songbook, used in government and private schools as a music teaching resource, subsequently provoked some debate about political correctness and whether or not it was appropriate to teach and sing the song in schools.
Since the apology to the stolen generations of Australian Indigenous people by the Australian government in February 2008, the song now has a new verse, and a new ending.
Sing, sing loud, we've broken the silence,
Let 'sorry' start healing our land.
The song, lyrics and sheet music are available for free download on the Sorry Song website at http://www.sgalliance.org.au/ssng.htm
The National Sorry Day, held each year on 26 May, was established after the publication of the Bringing them home report in 1997. This report was the result of a national enquiry into the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families as a matter of government policy from 1869 until 1969.
Further links
National Sorry Day Committee (http://www.nsdc.org.au)
© Australian Music Centre (2008) — Permission must be obtained from the AMC if you wish to reproduce this article either online or in print.
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