Despite the Queensland government calling an end to a truth-telling inquiry, elders in Cherbourg northwest of Brisbane gathered to share their stories living under mission rules. Around 200 Indigenous and non-Indigenous people united to bear witness to the confronting testimonies. And a warning this story contains images of Indigenous people who may have died.
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00:00Refusing to be silenced, sharing her truth.
00:05When I was living in Sherbrooke, they came and grabbed us from our mother and put us
00:13into the dormitory, into the girls' dormitory.
00:18Taken from her family as a girl, Kathleen Hopkins was forced to live away from her parents.
00:23I forgot about my brothers and my sisters, I didn't know their names.
00:28Speaking at community-led truth hearings after the new LNP government axed the official
00:33Truth and Healing Inquiry, many elders shared their stories of being controlled by the state.
00:38I look around this yard and it's great that you can see so many people that are willing
00:45to support this and it gives me the great feeling of my healing.
00:51This was earmarked as the first hearing outside of Brisbane as part of the three-year
00:56truth inquiry into the impacts of colonisation.
00:59But the government has made it clear it won't continue.
01:02So that's five contacts for me now, attempts to meet them and I have not had a response.
01:08Despite calls from elders for the government to change its mind, the Premier has doubled
01:12down on his strategy.
01:13We'll be working with them to drive real change and real opportunities in those communities
01:19and that's in line with our commitment before the election.
01:21While the state and national truth-telling processes remain uncertain, the community
01:26here say they can't afford to wait and they'll continue to share their stories because they
01:31say as a country we can't look forward without looking to our past.
01:36Asking the state government again to reconsider.
01:39And we will always be second class if you're not going to walk with us.