The Coonabarabran community is preparing for its annual commemorative march across Mary Jane Cain Bridge on Sorry Day, Friday, 26th May, with increased attendance expected from local schools and pre-schools. 

National Sorry Day is a day that commemorates and acknowledges the continued impacts of the Stolen Generations. It is a day for all of us to reflect on how we can all take part in the healing process and work towards true reconciliation. 

It’s been almost 10 years since the first march across the Mary Jane Cain bridge in 2014, after our local Aboriginal community were told they would not be able to march in commemoration of Sorry Day. 

Since then, our local community has come together every year for this important day of reflection and healing with community members and school students making the walk across the Mary Jane Cain bridge to the Coonabarabran Town Hall. 

The community is invited to gather at Coonabarbran Tennis Club at 10.15am for the 10.30am march across Mary Jane Cain bridge, followed by refreshments and speeches at Coonabarabran Town Hall. Flags at Warrumbungle Shire Council will be flown at half mast all day out of respect for to two Indigenous families' funerals being held on the day. 

Coonabarabran High School principal, Mary Doolan said that the school acknowledges that National Sorry Day is a significant day of remembrance and healing for our nation. 

“It is important that our school community ‘walk the talk’ on this day and give the strength of numbers to our support,” Ms Doolan said. 

“This year, all students in years 7-10 shall attend the community commemoration and senior students will have the option of attending.”

St Lawrence’s Primary School will be following in a similar path, with principal Natasha Milford saying that the event would be attended by the whole school. 

Coonabarabran Public School principal, Lucy Evans said that she anticipated more than half of the school will be attending this important commemoration for our community. 

For the first time, Yuluwirri Kids and Monkey Room children have also been invited to participate in our local Sorry Day march. 

At last year’s Sorry Day Ceremony, Warrumbungle Shire councillor Kodi Brady talked about the importance of Sorry Day for our community, and stressed the need for Sorry Day to not just be a tokenistic day, but a day that we can see “good intentions turn into words and words turn into actions”, so that we can make a real change in our community.