badges from Roslyn Hall Children's Home, Murray Dwyer Boys Orphanage, Protestant Homes Booklet from Burwood Boys' Home – 'Valuable Household Hints' ceramic elephant with broken trunk canvas shoes badges from Morialta Homes baby doll dressed in white wool suitcase
FORGOTTEN AUSTRALIANS – OUR HISTORY – banner

Resources

Over the Christmas Holiday season

In Sydney in January?

Catch a live theatre performance of The Fence – a story of the resilience and wisdom of five middle-aged Australians, four of whom grew up in care. Part of the Sydney Festival 2010, The Fence is produced by Urban Theatre Projects with community partners including the Alliance for Forgotten Australians, Stolen Generations Alliance, and Link-Up.

Organisations

  • Alliance for Forgotten Australians – an alliance of groups and selected individuals promoting the interests of Forgotten Australians through advocacy and projects
  • Care Leavers Australia Network (CLAN) – a network for people who grew up in Australia's orphanages, children's homes and in foster care
  • Child Migrants Trust – an independent professional service for former child migrants, their parents and relatives
  • Pathways – historical resources for people who experienced out-of-home 'care' in Victoria
  • Website for the Forgotten Australians – a site paid for, built and owned by system leavers across Australia – information about services and upcoming events; a good place to find people who you can talk to 24/7; advocacy, support, information, forum and blog
  • Wing for Survivors – a social media platform for Forgotten Australians to interact

Media coverage

Keep up-to-date with 'Forgotten Australians' (via Google):

Listen to earlier news about the apology:

Partners in the History project

  • National Museum of Australia – making an exhibition
  • National Library of Australia – recording oral history interviews
  • Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs – organising the national apology – see their Q&A about the apology

Australian Government reports

Books

  • M Fawdry, The Little Mongrel: Free to a Good Home, M Fawdry, Launceston, Tasmania, 2006.
  • S Killens and L Lewis, The Inconvenient Child: A True Story, Miracle Publishing, St Leonards, New South Wales, 2009.
  • K Meekins, Red Tape Rape, K Meekins, Adelaide, 2008.
  • S Murray, J Murphy, E Branigan & J Malone, After the Orphanage: Life Beyond the Children's Home, UNSW Press, Sydney, 2009.
  • J Penglase, Orphans of the Living: Growing up in 'Care' in Twentieth-Century Australia, Curtin University Books, Fremantle, Western Australia, 2005.
  • P Scottney-Turbill, Morialta: Fire in the Mist, P Scottney-Turbill, Stirling, South Australia, 1994.
  • R Szablicki, Orphanage Boy: Through the Eyes of Innocence, New Holland Publishers, Frenchs Forest, New South Wales, 2007.

Other resources?

To suggest further resources to add to this site, please email contact_us@forgottenaustralianshistory.gov.au

Quotes

From Lost Innocents:

... it is gut-wrenching to tell your story, you have a hell of a hangover from it, and I feel that you need real experts to do this counselling for child migrants.

(p199)

From Forgotten Australians:

I am now over 70 years of age but still find my experiences of this Institution remain with me, and some of the traumatic things I experienced still bother me, and I believe have had a profound effect on my life.

(p44)