Posted 28 May 2025
National Sorry Day and Reconciliation Week acknowledge the historical and ongoing injustices faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
This year, St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne and St Vincent’s Institute honoured the occasion with a Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony at the St Vincent’s Fitzroy Campus.
In Indigenous Australian culture, smoking ceremonies involve burning native plants to produce smoke, which is believed to have cleansing properties that ward off bad spirits and promote wellbeing. The ritual reflects a deep connection to the land, ancestors and spiritual beliefs. It continues to be a powerful expression of Aboriginal identity, resilience and cultural continuity.
National Sorry Day commemorates the Stolen Generations, Aboriginal Australian children who were forcibly removed from their families by government policies. It serves as a day of reflection, apology, and commitment to healing.
Reconciliation Week, which follows from May 27 to June 3, promotes understanding, respect and dialogue between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. The dates for National Reconciliation Week remain the same each year; 27 May to 3 June. These dates commemorate two significant milestones in the reconciliation journey – the successful 1967 referendum, and the High Court Mabo decision respectively.
These observances are crucial steps toward truth-telling, justice and building a unified, respectful nation that acknowledges its past and works together for a fairer future.
Reconciliation must live in the hearts, minds and actions of all Australians as we move forward, creating a nation strengthened by respectful relationships between the wider Australian community, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
We all have a role to play when it comes to reconciliation, and in playing our part we collectively build relationships and communities that value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, histories, cultures, and futures.
The National Reconciliation Week (NRW) 2025 theme, Bridging Now to Next, reflects the ongoing connection between past, present and future.
Bridging Now to Next calls on all Australians to step forward together, to look ahead and continue the push forward as past lessons guide us.