A formal apology to the Stolen Generation will soon appear at all hospitals across Western NSW.
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Ahead of National Sorry Day, the Western NSW Local Health District (WNSWLHD) unveiled the first plaque at its head office in Dubbo on May 24.
At an event marking the occasion, WNSWLHD chief executive Mark Spittal told local elders the district is sorry for both the wrongs of the past and contemporary failings.
"We recognize that the experience today for First Nations people is very, very different than for other members of Australian society," he said.
"We want to build a more authentic way of working together and of genuinely wrestling with all of the issues that come with it to make sure that our health services are far more appropriate in the future.
![WNSWLHD CEO Mark Spittal and Aunty Marg Walker unveil the plaque at the health district head office. Picture by Amy McIntyre WNSWLHD CEO Mark Spittal and Aunty Marg Walker unveil the plaque at the health district head office. Picture by Amy McIntyre](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/137578502/12ab9cd9-5468-473d-ad22-e347ed44945e.jpg/r0_0_8256_5009_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"Today's about acknowledging the past, but we're acknowledging the past because we want a different future."
In 2022, NSW Health secretary Susan Pearce delivered a formal apology to recognise the "deep trauma" caused by removing Aboriginal children from their families and communities.
It also recognised that hospitals and health facilities across the state were often where these removals took place.
Her words will soon be "permanently etched" on plaques at all 45 hospitals and health facilities in the WNSWLHD.
"I am deeply sorry for the pain and suffering caused by taking children from their families, from their communities, from their land, and denying them their language and their cultural birthrights," Ms Pearce said.
"I am profoundly sorry that the institutions managed by NSW Health, and its predecessor agencies, played a role in the forced removal of Aboriginal children and babies.
"Nothing can give back what was taken away from these children or their families, but we can and will change the future. We are deeply sorry."
The WNSWLHD's strained relationship with Indigenous communities has come into the spotlight recently at a coronial inquest into the death of Kamilaroi-Dunghutti man Dougie Hampson and at an inquiry into health funding.
Mr Spittal said the district is committed to improving its relationship with Indigenous communities through its Reconciliation Action Plan.
"Our health services should be places of comfort and healing, where all people feel safe, respected and cared for," he said.
"We aspire to be an organisation that is accountable to our Aboriginal community, is an active partner in reconciliation and which strives to do better for Aboriginal people at every level of our organisation."
WNSWLHD executive director of Aboriginal health Tony Martin said the installation of the plaques is an "important step" in improving health outcomes for Aboriginal people.
"The damage to the Stolen Generations is reflected in the health and wellbeing of many Aboriginal people," Mr Martin said.
"In some cases, it resulted in an ongoing mistrust of health services, which continues to have an impact on people in our District today.
"Our journey towards reconciliation is a long-term commitment and these events are an opportunity for communities to come together to acknowledge the role of health services in the Stolen Generations and, through truth-telling, continue taking steps to create meaningful change."