Bawoo Stories author chairs National Healing Foundation

14th July 2009

Since Sorry Day 2009, long-time Fremantle Press author May O’Brien has been conducting workshops in towns across Australia for the proposed National Healing Foundation.

Along with community advocate and researcher Greg Phillips, O’Brien is co-Chair of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Development Team that is consulting on a preferred model for the Healing Foundation.

O’Brien said she hoped that the requests and suggestions the Development Team had collected from communities around Australia would be acted on and that the report would not sit on shelves “gathering dust”.

The Australian Government has allocated $26.6 million to the Foundation over the next four years to “consider the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people”. In addition, $13.8 million has been allocated to help members of the Stolen Generations find and reunite with their families and communities.

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Healing Foundation Development Team are scheduled to table their report in September 2009.

O’Brien said she was looking forward to returning to schools in 2010 as part of her role as the National Indigenous English Literacy and Numeracy Strategy Ambassador for the Department of Education.

O’Brien, who is also an Ambassador for the Indigenous Literacy Project, will appear at the State Library of WA as part of Indigenous Literacy Day on 2 September 2009.

For more information please contact Claire Miller, cmiller@fremantlepress.com.au