The impacts of forced removal have been felt by most Aboriginal communities and are ongoing.
Creating a Marker for the Stolen Generations in the City of Melbourne
The City of Melbourne is committed to our Reconciliation journey including truth telling.
Acknowledging, recognising and paying tribute to the Stolen Generations is a vital part of the truth-telling process that underpins reconciliation.
Creating a Marker for the Stolen Generations is part of our Reconciliation Action Plan and supports our commitment to reconciliation and to strengthening relationships between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples.
In 2021, the Stolen Generations Reparations Steering Committee Report was presented to the State Government. The Committee made 54 recommendations, including that all local government authorities establish Markers to acknowledge and commemorate the Stolen Generations’ experience.
This Marker will be a permanent place with a significant artwork that reflects the resilience of the Stolen Generations and their families, acknowledges the injustices of the past, and provides future opportunities to move along the path to reconciliation together.
An independent Stolen Generations Marker Working Group has been established and includes Stolen Generations Survivors and their descendants, Traditional Owners, and organisations which assist Stolen Generations and their families. The working group makes recommendations to Council on the location of the Marker and artist choice.
The working group members are:
- Aunty Shirley Blackwood – community member and Stolen Generations survivor
- Tracey Evans – community member and Stolen Generations descendent
- Lisa Zammit – CEO, Connecting Home
- Bev Murray – Program Manager, Link-Up Victoria program, Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency
- Aunty Georgina Nicholson – Wurundjeri Elder
- Uncle Colin Hunter – Wurundjeri Elder
Location of the Stolen Generations Marker
Peppercorn Lawn in Alexandra Gardens on Wurundjeri Country has been selected as the site for the Marker, following consultation with Stolen Generations, their families and Victoria’s Aboriginal community.
The consultation included three potential locations for the Marker and asked how the community believed the location should feel and be used. Read more about the consultation.
Chosen for the cultural significance of the river and the central location in the city, Alexandra Gardens was once an oasis of billabongs and offers a peaceful space for reflection.
The Stolen Generations Marker working group would like to reiterate the recommendation has been guided by “its respect and honour for the Stolen Generations and is committed to ensuring their sentiments and experiences remain as the key values driving the completion of the Stolen Generations Marker.”
Artist selection process
In August 2023, we invited Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists (individuals or in teams) to submit an expression of interest (EOI) for the design of the permanent Stolen Generations Marker.
The Stolen Generations Marker will be commissioned through a two-stage process:
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Stage one: Expressions of interest (EOI)
Expressions of Interest have now closed.
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Stage two: Concept design
Shortlisted artists (or teams) are currently developing their final artwork proposals in close consultation with the Stolen Generations Marker Working Group.