It's taken years for Stolen Generation survivor Aunty Lindy Lawler to speak about her past, but she now shares her story to heal and move forward.
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The Aboriginal elder and her twin sister were born in David Berry Memorial Hospital at Berry in 1958.
They were forcibly removed from their home at just six months old, and for years they endured horrendous abuse.
"We were very lucky to have each other," Aunty Lindy said.
"But it stays in our memory. I still cry, I try not to but it's not easy to hold back the tears."
On May 26, Australia acknowledges the trauma inflicted upon Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, families and communities by the forcible removal of children with Sorry Day.
It's also day of healing, Aunty Lindy says, who was greeted by mob with open arms at the Illawarra Aboriginal Medical Service's National Sorry Day event on Thursday.
"I know that many people have suffered as a child and a lot of people have kept it inside of them," Aunty Lindy said.
"You can never really tell them to move on or forget what happened.
"I stand by everybody that went through the abuse and the torment. Some survived and others didn't survive it. That's why I call myself a survivor of the past.
"But we've got to heal at the same time. If we don't heal and forgive, then how do we move on?"
A crowd gathered at the Illawarra Aboriginal Medical Service for a smoking ceremony, followed by speakers and performances, including students from Warilla North Primary School who shared a local story of the Gang-Man-Gang.
Meantime, Albion Park High School held a special ceremony conducted by Uncle Gerald Brown. Stolen Generation Survivor Uncle Mark Rees also took to the crowd to share his experience.
Aunty Lindy said it was a "great gift" to come together, especially at the Illawarra Aboriginal Medical Service.
The centre holds a special place in her heart as staff were able to help her build a timeline of her past by connecting information from welfare documents.
It helps her remember her sister, who died in 2007.
"I can now look back on our journey," Aunty Lindy said.
The first National Sorry Day was held on 26 May 1998, one year after the Bringing Them Home report was tabled in parliament.
The report is a result of a Government Inquiry into the past policies which caused children to be removed from their families and communities in the 20th century.
Only last year, a report released by Family Matters, an organisation that aims to eliminate the overrepresentation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in care, found Indigenous children were still 10 times more likely than non-Indigenous children to be living in out-of-home care.
"This will never stop," Aunty Lindy said.
"Even though Kevin Rudd delivered the apology ... it still really hits the families, they suffer as well along with the ones that were removed."
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Grace Crivellaro
Court reporter for the Illawarra Mercury.
Court reporter for the Illawarra Mercury.
