For a small important majority of Australians, February 13 marked an emotional moment in our nation’s history.
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This year marks the 10-year anniversary of former prime minister Kevin Rudd's official apology to the Stolen Generations.
Moonbahlene Local Aboriginal Land Council's Helen Duroux recalls indigenous elders being very moved by the long-awaited apology, and feels it probably made non-indigenous people more aware of the sad chapter in Australian history.
"I know it caused a lot of controversy at the time, with a lot of non-indigenous people saying they couldn't see the need for an apology," she said.
"It was a good thing, but I don't know that we've progressed much since.
"Being acknowledged by someone like Kevin Rudd – about the highest you can go in the ranks – I know it meant a lot to some of our elders.
"He delivered in a very heartfelt and sincere way at the time, and that was very much appreciated by the elders."
On Monday the federal opposition leader Bill Shorten announced Labor would introduce a reparations scheme for the Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory.
The scheme is based on the New South Wales scheme which offers an ex-gratia payment of $75,000 for each stolen generation member and an additional $7500 in funeral costs.
