Fragile but strong – honouring 18 years since the apology to the Stolen Generations
In the heart of Ngunnawal Country, a glass coolamon sits in Parliament House – a constant reminder of the day the nation stopped to listen.
Photo caption: Bai Bai Napangardi (c.1934–2020), Ngarti, Kukatja peoples, Luwantja (Coolamon), c.2006, Official Gifts Collection, Parliament House Art Collections. © Bai Bai Napangardi/Copyright Agency, 2026.
This beautiful gift of healing is a testament to the grace of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and their acceptance of then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s apology to the Stolen Generations 18 years ago today.
Made by Bai Bai Napangardi, an artist from the Balgo community in Western Australia, the coolamon included a message that said:
“On behalf of our people, thank you for saying sorry. In return we give you this gift on behalf of us affected by being taken away from our families. This is our way of saying thank you. The gift is a glass coolamon, fragile yet strong. Coolamons have carried our children. The gift is a symbol of the hope we place in the new relationship you wish to forge with our people. A relationship that itself is fragile yet strong. We have a new covenant between our peoples, that we will do all we can to make sure our children are carried forward, loved and nurtured and able to live a full life”
The coolamon was presented by the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition to the Speaker of the House of Representatives who said:
“I gratefully receive this gift on behalf of the House. It will represent a very important point in the history of not only this chamber but our nation”
The anniversary of the Apology to the Stolen Generations is an important day.
Today we celebrate the unbreakable spirit of the Stolen Generations who continue to lead us toward healing, and we pause to remember those who weren’t here to hear the word sorry.