Queensland's truth and healing inquiry has heard from witnesses recounting their lived experience at the Aboriginal reserve of Cherbourg, west of Brisbane.
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00:00At the second day of hearings at Queensland's Truth and Healing Inquiry here in Brisbane,
00:07we've heard from Waka Waka man, Uncle David Ragg.
00:10Now, Uncle David was generous in sharing his lived experience of being forced to live at
00:16the Sherburgh Aboriginal Reserve Boys' Dormitory as a child.
00:21At the age of nine, he was separated from his parents and forced to live in this boys'
00:25dormitory.
00:26This youngest sibling at the time was just a baby, three and a half years old, and Uncle
00:31David spoke of the grief and loss of being separated from his baby brother.
00:36Now, Uncle David Ragg, he recounted a haunting story, really, of having to duck to the toilets
00:42in the middle of the night because the toilet block was separate from the Sherburgh Boys'
00:46Dormitory.
00:48He said he would never do this alone, though, always waking up a brother or a friend to
00:52go with him.
00:54He says this was because of the abuse that many of the boys suffered, physical, mental
00:59and emotional abuse, but also sexual abuse.
01:01He says this is because the boys' dormitory at Sherburgh didn't have security.
01:06Adults from the outside had access and they were allowed to stay there overnight.
01:10Now, Uncle David Ragg says this is a reason why he has put so much of his life's work
01:15into child protection and advocating for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kids.
01:21He says that adults and stranger adults should never be allowed to stay under the same roof
01:25as children.
01:27Uncle David would like to see recommendations at the end of this inquiry, which should last
01:32for three years, he said, but if the LNP wins power in Queensland next month, the Opposition
01:39Leader, David Crisafulli, said that he would wind back the Path to Treaty Act, including
01:46the inquiry.
01:47The recommendation that Uncle David Ragg would most like to see come out of this inquiry
01:53is that this true history be implemented and cemented in the state's school curriculum
01:59so that educators and teachers have access to these resources to teach children and students
02:04about the history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in missions and reserves
02:09about stolen generations and stolen wages.
02:12The hearings will continue on Friday.