Image: National Indigenous Times.
Western Australian Premier Roger Cook has apologised for the atrocities committed against Aboriginal people on the island of Wadjemup/Rottnest Island.
Indigenous people imprisoned on Wadjemup by colonial authorities and the WA government endured horrific conditions and many perished there. There remain mass graves on the island to this day.
On Saturday, Mr Cook joined many in gathering for the Wadjemup Wirin Bidi Commemorative Ceremony on the island acknowledging the crimes committed and honouring the victims.
From 1838-1931 Wadjemup was used as a place of incarceration, segregation and forced labour for over 4,000 Aboriginal men and boys who were forcibly taken from regions across Western Australia.
Historic records indicate that at least 373 of these men and boys were buried in an area now referred to as the Wadjemup Aboriginal Burial Ground.
Organisers of the ceremony said Wadjemup Wirin Bidi, meaning ‘Spirit Trail’, was a cultural Ceremony for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people to gather together to facilitate healing and commemorate those affected by the past incarceration of Aboriginal men and boys on Wadjemup.
The Premier said “many incarcerated here for crimes not committed, but simply because of who they were and the culture they represented”.
“Today my task, my solemn duty is to acknowledge the role of the state government in that process. On behalf of my colleague Tony Buti the Minister, Simone McGurk the Minister and local member and Divina D’Anna the member for Kimberley, and as the Premier of Western Australia, on behalf of the people of Western Australia, I say, we are sorry,” he said.
“We are sorry for the incarcerations, we are sorry for the injustice, and we are deeply, deeply sorry for those who lost their lives and were never able to return to their people.
“And as Ms Hayden said, this is also an opportunity for healing. I commit my government to doing everything that we can to work with you and to work with the community to continue to make sure that Wadjemup plays its role on that pathway to healing and Reconciliation.”
At least two English officers stationed at Wadjemup in the 19th century protested the treatment of Indigenous men and boys on the island, and wrote to the British government in London to demand intervention. Both men were ignored and sidelined, with one sent back to the UK and another transferred elsewhere.
Image: National Indigenous Times.
