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The Forum > Article Comments > The Forgotten Australians ask us: what sort of country are we really? > Comments

The Forgotten Australians ask us: what sort of country are we really? : Comments

By Angela Sdrinis, Richard Hil and Nick Rose, published 7/11/2007

If compassion for those in need is an 'Australian value', we must give our attention to those who suffered abuse in institutional care.

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I was one of the forgotten Australians.One of the luckier ones, as i have made a decent,worthwhile life for myself and my family. Not without a struggle, i had no idea how to live a "normal" life when released from the institution.My children had a very strict upbringing as i raised them according to rules of the homes i had been in.I would even strip their beds if they weren't made with hospital corners. I believed i was unscathed until recently seeing some documentaries and reliving the hell i went through in those so called "caring" institutions.People are banding together now and asking for explanations and in some cases,compensation.The so called reform schools were the worst and they certainly reformed one.Usually you came out of those places beaten down and schooled in the art of survival, by learning how to get away with breaking the law from other inmates.Their would have been a hue and cry if animals had been treated as we were.Most of us were neglected or orphans and yet treated like criminals.Beaten,raped,starved and made to work like dogs.We didn't have a childhood and i for one feel like i was robbed.It wasn't only the aboriginal race that was the stolen generation,those places stole our innocence and gave us hell in replacement.Somebody must be made accountable.
Posted by haygirl, Wednesday, 7 November 2007 10:13:41 AM
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Most certainly we ought do whatever is possible to help those who have been hurt by our various "caring" institutions.

Equally important we ought be absolutely sure that our current caring institutions are not perpetuating the travesties. I would like to know more about such things as: present-day regimes of life in our institutions, what methods are used to train and supervise staff in order that the care may be more benificent, what evaluations are conducted, what do contemporary residents say and feel about their care. Are their sources for this information?
Posted by Fencepost, Wednesday, 7 November 2007 10:56:09 AM
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Haygirl,

It's great to see you plugging away. Tenacity is one of your obvous strengths.

Fencepost,

For current practices, try The CREATE Foundation (http://www.create.org.au/index.php?sesid=17r5CEZrBnk75wMxqDV9lMs09PYNqk1Uvgd4rJXptE7LbAVVm5790CbCmpS01q2N)

or The Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare (http://www.cwav.asn.au)

or Berry Street Victoria (http://www.berrystreet.org.au/

However, I'd warmly encourage you to avoid the mentality found widespread among welfare types: "We've moved on from the bad old days; let's forget the past, there's nothing we can do about that."

There's plenty of former care leavers who know the truism, "a childhood lasts a lifetime". The recent survey by Care Leavers Australia Network (CLAN) demonstrates the serious longterm effects of institutionalisation. Many of the 500,000 institutionalised Australian children and their families are suffering acute problems decades after they left 'care' - a strange word to use in this context.

This article is a very clear summary of some of the main issues. The duckshoving by the Commonwealth, Victorian and NSW Governments is disgusting. Tasmania, Queensland, and, hopefully soon, SA and WA are taking the issues seriously by establishing redress schemes, but the more powerful Governments refuse to own up to their responsibilities.

What's needed? At least the following:

1. A national reparations fund with contributions from States, churches and charities who had a duty of care and failed to discharge it.

2. A gold card which gives care leavers priority access to State and Federal Government services especially in health, aged services and adult education.

3. Ongoing counselling accessed through care leavers' organisations which must be adequately funded by Government.

4. Inquiries at State level (Queensland, Tasmania and SA have done this already) to allow care leavers to tell their stories publicly, to expose the serial child abusers and to allow the Australian public to acknowledge the extent to which the trust that the nation's most vulnerable children should have expected was routinely broken.
Posted by FrankGol, Wednesday, 7 November 2007 12:21:31 PM
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i'm not sure how much use there is in searching out the people who ran institutions for retribution. most of them will say "i just did my job", and hard to prove otherwise.

all of society played a role in the failure as well, you might reasonably ask for an apology from the current minister, and even get one, as long as it's not john howard.

what sort of country? lot's of well-meaning people, but leash-trained to roll over, and fetch, whenever some politician whistles. there are no, that's no, not, none traditions of participating in politics as citizens because they are not citizens, they are subjects. people 'done to' rather than people who 'do'. british tradition plus colonial management has turned oz into a giant sheep station. pollies are the graziers, with total control over the management of the nation. one result is 'forgotten people', pollies never give much thought to people who don't vote for them.

this isn't going to change. so my advice, in the unlikely event you are interested, is to say: "i survived, those bastards are all dead, ha, hah!" and get on with enjoying your life as well as you can.
Posted by DEMOS, Wednesday, 7 November 2007 1:41:18 PM
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I was also one of the Forgotten Australians and know what it is like to start work at the age of 6 years. I worked until I left the home at 16 1/2 and was known as the orphanage bastard at work. During my incarceration we were used as slaves to the "Powers That Be" and were physically, mentally and sometimes sexually abused. The "mateship" was recognised by the inmates but soon forgotten on the "outside". We used to lift bags of pollard, bran and the like which were in excess of 180lbs. Now when I wish to talk about life in the home I'm told to forget it as it was in the past. I can't forget, and now in my twilight years I want the "caring" government to recognise our hurt of the past and give white Australians as well as indiginous a fair reparation for the suffering of the past.
Posted by RAG, Wednesday, 7 November 2007 2:21:01 PM
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DEMOS,

You use the word 'retribution' where others might use the word 'justice'.

Of course, some of the older sexual predators and abusers are dead now and, on that personal level, you're right to question the usefulness of pursuit of justice. But please understand that the crimes against vulnerable children and young people were committed in institutions run by Governments, churches and charities. They had a duty of care to set standards and to monitor and supervise the conduct of staff. They simply failed to carry out their legal and moral obligations. It's a cop-out to tell them that we, their successors, are not personally liable.

You might try for a moment to walk in the shoes of those who were sexually abused and exploited as children and whose stories were not believed at the time or who were too intimidated even to tell anyone. In many cases, their lives have been miserable - wracked with shame and guilt, as if they were at fault or brought it on themselves.

Many are also in poor health physically or mentally, or both. Institutional life did not include dental care, visits to the doctor were a rarety, and cruel even vicious treatment often caused disabilities like deafness (too many bashings about the head).

Many of these people are now getting quite old (unlike my aunt who died in the Ballarat Orphanage aged 13). Many were separated from siblings and lost contact with relatives so they do not have families for support, and the prospect of being institutionalised again at the other end of their life is a frightening outlook.

Let me assure you that the survivors do try get on with things and enjoy life as best they can. Many are wonderful citizens. But if you're frail, badly educated and suffering lifelong disabilities it's not as easy as it should be.

A helping hand from the authorities and a sympathetic voice would be appreciated.
Posted by FrankGol, Wednesday, 7 November 2007 3:38:16 PM
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