Uncle Brian Butler 

Uncle Brian Butler, born in 1938 is of Aranda and Lurijta descent and grew up in Central Australia.  

In 2021, Uncle Brian and his friend John Bond wrote the book ‘Sorry and Beyond’. The book talks about the heartache and despair Uncle Brian, his family and many other Aboriginal families have dealt with and continue to deal with. He hopes the book will inspire the Australian community and Australian governments to recommit themselves to Closing the Gap and the recommendations of the 'Bringing Them Home Report'.   

As a respected Elder in the South Australian community, RDNS Silverchain reached out to Uncle Brian to ask him to share his book and experiences with RDNS Silverchain employees in South Australia.    

In November 2021, Uncle Brian gave his personal talk to RDNS Silverchain employees. Uncle Brian gave employees an in depth look into some of the battles he and his family endured throughout their lives, his personal journey, experiences and struggles as an Aboriginal man in Australia and how he as an advocate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people has contributed to meaningful change in our country.   

The session with Uncle Brian helped our employees gain an understanding of how the period of the Stolen Generation created so much pain, anger and distrust among Aboriginal people. The hurt is still as prevalent today as it was all those years ago. This pain has filtered down to the families and is one of the causes of intergenerational trauma and still to this day brings Uncle Brian much sadness.