[continued]

You can check all this out yourself, by checking those documents on my web-site on www.firstsources.info where I have tried to put together Indexes to assist anybody trying to find details from those thousands of pages. Look up "Children" or some related term, in the Indexes. You can get an idea of how the Protector tried to keep families together.

In SA, the Children's Council was responsible for the welfare of children, but they refused to take responsibility for Aboriginal children: that was the Protector's job, they said. As far as I know, there were never (or maybe rarely) any Aboriginal children taken to the huge Goodwood orphanage in Adelaide. I don' know of anybody who was sent there. At the Fullarton Girls' Home, there were never more than half a dozen Aboriginal girls, and maybe none before about 1934. And of those girls, at least one was an orphan, and a couple had lost their fathers and their mothers had re-married. Go figure.

I hope this helps.

Joe

Dear Loudmouth,

Interesting change of tone.

Is the cat out of the bag?

All right mate let's bring this to a head, what if it could be illustrated to your satisfaction that the three girls did escape together from Moore River, head north-east in the direction of the rabbit-proof fence and home rather than west toward the 'bright lights of Fremantle' as you implied, were not recorded as being captured within the first week, shown to be avoiding human habitations and to have caught and eaten game meat; would that then allow you to turn aside from ever again labeling this as a 'myth'?

Hi Joe,

"I wonder where some of you compassionate people would line up: 'culture' or education?"

Are the two diametrically opposed to such a degree that you cannot have one and the other coexisting?

I have spoken of my partner before, as a Maori she retains here culture through language, the understanding of protocols, practices and customs of her people, their history and genealogy. Just because she does not get around dressed in a piupiu, weaving flax baskets and singing 'Pokarekare Ana', things she can readily do if need be, does not make her less cultured that those who in the past carried on in what might be termed a more traditional lifestyle. Culture is forever changing as one adapts to a changing environment Just as European culture changes, so does indigenous culture. People speak of 'Australian culture' is it the long lost culture of 'Clancy of the Overflow' or the kid with the Iphone.
Just as European culture changes with education, so does indigenous culture. I do not believe there is any choice to be made between education and culture, the two can haply coexist. Yes a highly educated rocket scientist can also have a culture, just like the rest of us. Agree?

Dear Big Nana,

You wrote;

“SteeleRedux, you have ignored my information about how part aboriginal children were not removed from stable families.”

I have not. You are wrong and there are plenty of examples of such a crime occurring although granted in far less numbers compared to elsewhere, but leaving that aside if you read what I have posted you will see I specifically said “where the colour of the child's skin and their location were the over riding reasons for removal”.

Even though the Protector had complete rights over the half-caste children in the State it was the camp and often the station children who were specifically targeted. Why? Because of the great unease of someone with a similar skin colour to the Protector's 'living like' or being treated like a native.

Here is the thing. You are giving me you testimony without any collaboration evidence. Now I am not someone like Loudmouth who would discount it out of hand, and I accept that this is your opinion, reinforced by your apparent interaction with others.

But I have been at pains to cite and quote those who were there at the time, the documents and policy they produced and acted upon, and the legislation that was formed as a result. You were not there and you are attempting to refute the position I have taken on here-say. I'm afraid I am asking for more than that.

Cont..

Cont..

Let me give you a case in point. I raise the issue of the terrible conditions at Moore River and you then retort with;

“As for kids being put into appalling conditions in homes, well, I can only speak about what I know and have been told by adults who grew up in the dormitory system in missions in the Kimberley.”

Well just in case the link to the Commissioner's report wasn't enough let me quote him verbatim;

“The dormitories are vermin ridden to an extent which I suspect eradication is impossible … the sooner new dormitories are constructed ... the better for the health and comfort of the inmates.”

'The equipment in the dining room is deficient, and, with few exceptions, the children had no implements of any kind to aid them in eating.”

“Food.- Here there is much room for improvement. Powdered milk for children is obviously useless … No vegetables are grown at the settlement, and a totally inadequate supply is imported. Tinned vegetables (so called)
are in the same category as powdered milk. There is an insufficient supply of meat, and, if such articles as fruit and eggs were occasionally supplied, fewer children would go to the hospital.”

Now you 'know' about this too.

Hi Steele,

Thanks for your request: " .... what if it could be illustrated to your satisfaction that the three girls did escape together from Moore River, head north-east in the direction of the rabbit-proof fence and home rather than west toward the 'bright lights of Fremantle' as you implied, were not recorded as being captured within the first week, shown to be avoiding human habitations and to have caught and eaten game meat; would that then allow you to turn aside from ever again labeling this as a 'myth'?"

Yes, of course, if you could find evidence of it. As it happens, there was a case of a couple of girls running away from Moore River out towards the fence. They were tracked and found to have caught a rabbit, but without knives etc., they were unable to cut it open or cook it, so its carcase was found untouched. It was assumed that the girls had perished in the bush. This is probably one of the strands of story, along with Arthur Upfield's book published around 1937, along with stories of other girls running away to Perth.

Every day along the Fence, perhaps a couple of hundred Rabbit Department employees worked to maintain it. If just a handful of them had seen three little girls walking along the Fence, they would have passed that information on at the local pub that night; after all, it would be pretty remarkable. That information would have got into the local paper, then the main State paper, the West Australian. But nothing. Zilch.

Another source of information are the memoirs of Paul Hasluck, later the Minister for Territories (including Indigenous Affairs) and Governor-General. In the early thirties, in addition to being involved in setting up the Aborigines' Advancement League, Hasluck was a pro-Labor reporter with the West Australian. He toured all over the State with the Moseley Commissioners, and attended most sessions when it heard witnesses. He had many colorful stories in his memoirs, but not a mention of any flight along the Fence. Nothing.

But you might know better ?

Joe