About the memorial
As part of the Stolen Generation, Carol Kendall had a vision for a unique memorial that created a place of peace, harmony and reflection dedicated to all “Children of the Stolen Generations”. Sadly, Carol passed away in 2002, however this vision lived on with a partnership commitment in 2003 by The Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust, Link Up NSW, and the NSW Stolen Generations Committee to build a Stolen Generations Memorial at the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan.
Mount Annan was known as Yandelora, which means “a meeting place of all peoples”, with the Stolen Generations Memorial site located in a pristine section of the critically endangered Cumberland Plain Woodland. Visitors will experience the memorial as a journey of healing and reflection, as they walk through the forest via a series of boardwalks leading to a peaceful meeting place with water and a sculpture space.
The sculptural centrepiece has been carved by renown Aboriginal sculptor Badger Bates from local sandstone, and features an Aboriginal family highlighting the tragic consequences of the separation of Aboriginal children from their parents. A quiet and contemplative space in the woodland, the sculpture represents the lives touched by this era in Australian history.
As Mount Annan is the “meeting place of all peoples”, it is appropriate that the Memorial be the place that people gather on Sorry Day.
The sculpture can incorporate water, as seen above, to convey a "river of tears" for the lives touched by this era in Australia's history.