Apology Letter

1. The aborigines were completley isolated until 1788 when the english first arrived.  The english forced the aborigines to move and took much of their land.  Many got sick with pnemonia, small pox, measles and other diseases.  The english brought with them many foreign animals that destroyed the aborigines water holes.  In 1900 laws were created to protect the aborigines in every state.  Not until 1967 were they granted citizenship. 
2. The english forced many aborigines to move so they could take their land.  The english brought with them many sicknesses and dieases which many aborigines got sick by.  The english brought with them foreign animals which destroyed the aboriginies and chopped down many australian forests.  From 1910 to 1971 the australian govt. took about 100,000 aborigine children and gave them to white families in an effort to assimilate them into the english population. 
3. From 1910 to 1971 the english inhabitants of australia attempted to make the aborigine children more like them.  During this time they took about 100,000 children from the aborigines. During this period 1 in 10 aborigine children were taken and attempted to be assimilated into the white culture in Australia.  Many of the children taken were physically and sexually abused, as well as exploited for child labor in the black market. 
4. The physical and sexual abuse, exploitation, and dislocation which the children of the stolen generation went through has shown to lead to alcoholism, violence and early death.  Many of the children feel completley lost now since they are pushed out by both white and aborigine societies. 
5. The results of this stolen generation are sitll impacting australian society today.  A high proportion of people form the stolen gernerations are depressed, have feelings of anxiety, post traumatic stress and commit suicide.  Many have not found out their backgrounds untill later in life and when they go back they feel culturally alienated in that they are in a grey area in between both white and aborinal societys, not knowing where to go.  When those of the stolen generation have kids they often do no not know how to raise a child or parent and as a result their children are sometimes removed from them which just continues the cycle. 
6. Regarding why an official apology needs to be stated, many of the stolen generation have lost much of their lives and the potential of what they could have been to outdated racial and societal beliefs.  The stolen generation has gone through so much more then what should be expected from the average person.  They have put up with abuse, exploitation, and a complete loss of cultural identity.  They live lives of depression and anxiety, yet their struggle has not been compensated for or even recognized by the government.  If Australia is to exit this period of injustice and enter one of peace and happiness then the government needs to at least start with an apology.