I discovered at the end of last year that the Cairns Council did not own and had not previously flown the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags. We remedied that and at the suggestion of the Indigenous Reference Group decided to raise the flags for the first time at the Spence St Council chambers on Sorry Day, 26th of May, the national day of reconciliation, healing and remembrance of the Stolen Generation.

It was a moving ceremony with Yidinji traditional owners Seith and Henrietta Fourmile describing their family's experiences of family members being moved from parents and country. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags have been flown over other public buildings across the nation for a couple of decades now and I am very pleased that the Cairns Regional Council has, belatedly, recognised the indigenous traditional owners of the land.