"Get sorry today, unchain John Howard's heart" was the message on one banner amongst a sea of support for reconciliation and justice for Aborigines at marches in Adelaide and Brisbane, which followed the example of the May 28 half-million people march across Sydney Harbour Bridge.
In Adelaide, Lisa Lines and Caitlin Hall report, 55,000 people marched from Adelaide Oval to Elder Park over the Adelaide Bridge on June 12.
The crowd was asked to yell and cheer so that the prime minister could hear — and yell and cheer they did, supporting calls for compensation for the stolen generations, the repeal of mandatory sentencing laws and the restoration of Abstudy.
Welcomed to Kaurna traditional land by the president of the Tandanya Aboriginal Cultural Centre, Katrina Powell, the marchers also heard from Shirley Peisley, the chairperson of the state's Council for Reconciliation and from the Uniting Church's Reverend Ken Sumner, who reminded all of the importance of land rights, saying "without land, we will die".
But state Aboriginal affairs minister Dorothy Kotz was met with shouts of anger from the crowd, who remembered her involvement in allowing the Kumarangk (Hindmarsh Island) Bridge to be built against the wishes and beliefs of the indigenous community. Kotz refused to comment on the federal government's rebuff to calls for a national apology to Aboriginal people.
In Brisbane, Bill Mason reports, up to 70,000 people filled the streets from South Bank to King George Square on June 4, in the largest public demonstration ever held in that city.
The unexpectedly huge size of the crowd meant that most were unable to hear the official speakers; the demonstration took more than five hours for the last marchers to reach their destination.
The day was intended as a chance for individuals to say "sorry" for the wrongs done to Aboriginal people; officially there were no demands place on anyone. But many of the banners and chants were directed squarely at the federal government and John Howard.
The protest spirit was shown in the reception given to one Murri woman. "Are you ready to hear the truth?" she asked the crowd, before being silenced by rally organisers. But the crowd demanded that she be allowed to speak and supplied a megaphone.
Both Premier Peter Beattie and Brisbane lord mayor Jim Soorley made high profile appearances, happy to support a vague and ambiguous notion of reconciliation. They made no mention, however, of Labor policy in the state, which has included support for most of Howard's 10-point plan extinguishing native title.
As in Sydney, both marches signified a turning point in public attitudes towards the plight of the Aboriginal people.