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Well-Being Australia chairman Mark Tronson recalls three very significant events in his life where he had a personal opportunity to say 'sorry' to specific Australian indigenous people, all of which he feels pale into insignificance compared to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's 'Sorry Statement' to the 'stolen generation' (9.00am Wednesday 13 February 2008) in Federal Parliament.

Well-Being Australia chairman Mark Tronson recalls three very significant events in his life where he had a personal opportunity to say 'sorry' to specific Australian indigenous people, all of which he feels pale into insignificance compared to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's 'Sorry Statement' to the 'stolen generation' (9.00am Wednesday 13 February 2008) in Federal Parliament.


The first time was when Lloyd Lanyon, a mission pilot from Moree (north west N.S.W.) whose mission involved indigenous outback outreach using light aircraft, visited Port Kembla Baptist Church. He challenged the young people to give a week of their holidays to his mission.



As a young Locomotive Engineman in November 1971, M V Tronson gave seven days of his annual leave to working in Moree in the Mission's enormous vegetable garden and also attended various evening meetings.



“Lloyd Lanyon alerted me before we attended one particular evening bible study where an elderly Christian Aboriginal man was to lead the study, that this man of God could sense a person's deepest spiritual condition,” M V Tronson explained.



“We sat side by side,” continued Mark Tronson. “As we talked after the meeting, this very tall craggy-faced distinguished Aboriginal Christian man prayed the Lord's touch upon my life. I remember that there was only one quietly spoken word of solidarity that I could find in such an all consuming moment.”



The second occasion was on Wollongong Railway Station platform in 1976. M V Tronson, working as a Locomotive Engineman, had pulled into the platform with an all-stations passenger train hauled by a 48 Class diesel locomotive. Another crew was waiting to take over and, having alighted from the engine, he heard his name called.



He turned to see a fellow engineman who was waiting for another train and beside him was this most beautiful and stunning 'very black' indigenous woman and a new baby. This engineman ever so proudly and with the full joy of life's expectations introduced M V Tronson to his wife and their new baby.



“I can remember this occasion as if it was yesterday. This lady was like a tourism photograph. When she smiled the surrounds lit up with the light of her eyes, and clearly delighted that I had paid her such kind attention. I recall tenderly gazing and only managing one word,” M V Tronson noted.



The third occasion was in 1997 when M V Tronson was initiating Tourism Ministry at Australia's Bush Orchestra in Moruya on the N.S.W. south coast. A local government provider appointed an indigenous man to assist for 12 months in the development of this community project.

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