As the nation marked the 16th anniversary of Kevin Rudd's apology to the Stolen Generations, Glendra Stubbs admits to having "mixed emotions" about the commemorations.
The Bullaburra resident was seated in the first row of Federal Parliament's lower house when the former prime minister delivered the apology on February 13, 2008.
"I'm somebody who doesn't cry a lot and I sobbed the whole way through... I never thought it would happen in my lifetime," she said of the experience.
But the 69-year-old proud Wiradjuri women - who was awarded an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for her services to the Indigenous community in 2022 - fears we may have not learnt all the lessons from that moment.
"If you look at the statistics of the number of our kids who are in care and never get the opportunity to go home, well they haven't learned," she said.
"When you say 'sorry' you say 'I don't want it to happen again and I will learn from my mistakes'. Well, I think we haven't learned a lot."
Federal Member for Macquarie Susan Templeman was with Aunty Glendra in Canberra for the anniversary and said she "recognises the range of feelings" Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders have on the issue.
The event in Parliament's Great Hall also marked the release of the latest Closing the Gap report.
"The update shows that too few of the Closing the Gap targets to improve health, education and quality of life are being met, and we are continuing to invest in programs in partnership with Indigenous communities, which we know will be a key to reaching the targets," said Ms Templeman.
The Labor MP said the government has made a number of announcements aimed at improving the lives of Indigenous people, including the establishment of a National Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People.
"Indigenous children are almost 11 times more likely to be in out-of-home care than non-Indigenous children, and the National Commissioner will focus on working with First Nations people on evidence-based programs and policies to turn those figures around," she said.
Reflecting on the 2008 apology, Ms Templeman said it "took enormous courage in every member of the Stolen Generations who came to Canberra that day and faced the very institution that had failed them so profoundly".
Aunty Glendra described the apology as "a really wonderful thing" that was vitally important for the Stolen Generations community.
She likened its impact to people's memories of the first Moon landing in 1969.
"People my age remember where we were when that happened. [Now] people remember where they were when the apology was delivered... It was a really significant opportunity for this country to have truth, justice and healing."
