A marker will be established within Melton to acknowledge and commemorate the Stolen Generations.
At a meeting on July 31, Melton Councillor Ashleigh Vandenberg moved for council to work with the Reconciliation Advisory Committee (RAC) to plan and establish a marker within the municipality.
Cr Vandenberg, who is a proud Wiradjuri woman and is a daughter of a member of the Stolen Generation, said a marker was “long called for within our community”.
“It is an act of reconciliation and a symbol of acknowledgement for those who are the Stolen Generation,” she said.
“Those that have passed, those that are struggling, those that have found their way home, those that are still searching and those that never made it back home. In honour of their resilience.”
The addition of a marker commemorating the Stolen Generation is in line with the state government’s recommendation 37 of the Stolen Generations Reparations Steering Committee Report 2022.
The Steering Committee recommends that all LGAs, directed by the Minister of Local Government, establish plaques to honour and commemorate Stolen Generations in consultation with Stolen Generations living in their region.
The motion passed unanimously and council officers responded to the motion that they will work closely with the Melton RAC to plan for a Stolen Generation Marker within the Melton council area.
