A warning to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, this story contains images of people who have died. For years Rottnest Island’s reputation as a holiday haven has sat uneasily with its dark past as a prison for First Nations boys and men. Today, thousands of people gathered at Wadjemup to pay their respect and mark a new chapter for the island.
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00:00Welcome to Wadjumup.
00:05From across Western Australia, thousands of people journey to Wadjumup, also known as
00:09Rotnest Island, to face the past.
00:12I begin by acknowledging my elders past and present.
00:15I'm sure a lot of people who go to Rotnest really would like to know the truth.
00:20Between 1838 and 1931, almost 4,000 Aboriginal men and boys were incarcerated here.
00:27It's the largest knowing deaths in custody gravesite in Australia.
00:31Hundreds of Aboriginal delegates have gathered for a week of cultural ceremonies.
00:38Bring messages to our men to let them know that we're raising their spirits and bringing
00:43them home so that we can lay them to rest and they can finally be at peace.
00:48Inviting members of the public to join them on Saturday.
00:52On behalf of the people of Western Australia, I say, we are sorry.
01:01Four years ago, the state government launched a project to commemorate important sites at
01:06the island.
01:07That work is still underway, but elders say events like these are important in the truth-telling
01:13process.
01:15But not everyone feels included.
01:17The Rotnest Island Deaths Group was formed decades ago to fight for recognition of the
01:22island's history.
01:23They want more say in how their ancestors are remembered.
01:26We've done 45 years, nearly 50 years of work in honouring our ancestors and their deaths,
01:34misery and suffering on the island.
01:37And that's what's important.
01:39One thing people do seem to agree on is the need for all Western Australians to know what
01:44happened here.
01:45This needs to be a place of education to understand that people were removed from their lands
01:54and never returned.
01:57It was a one-way ticket.
01:58There are plans to create a museum of remembrance in the old prison building and create a memorial
02:04at the burial ground.