Where did the stolen generation happen in Australia?

A must-read is the report by Peter Read, ‘The Stolen Generations – The removal of Aboriginal children in New South Wales 1883 to 1969’. Published in 1981 it was then a ground-breaking first attempt to document the devastating consequences of the forced removal of Aboriginal children from their families.

Where are the stolen generation now?

Today, Stolen Generations survivors live right across Australia. Most (73%) live in New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia.

What were the Aboriginal Stolen Generations in Australia?

The Stolen Generations refers to a period in Australia’s history where Aboriginal children were removed from their families through government policies. This happened from the mid-1800s to the 1970s.

How did the Australian government justify the Stolen Generation?

A further justification used by the government of the day was that it was believed that “Pure Blood” Aboriginal people would die out and that the “Mixed Blood” children would be able to assimilate into society much easier, this being based on the premise that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples were racially …

Where did the stolen generation get taken?

Australia
It’s estimated that as many as one in three Indigenous children were taken from their families between 1910 and the 1970s—affecting most Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Australia.

Was the stolen generation a good thing?

The White Stolen Generations At the time this was widely seen as a positive thing by society for both the mothers and the children. The mothers were sometimes drugged, tied to beds, or told their babies had died. These babies were often adopted into middle class families.

How were the stolen generation abused?

Many children from the Stolen Generations suffered extreme physical, psychological and sexual abuse living under state care. Children were forced to reject their culture and adopt a new identity. So they often felt ashamed of their Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage.

Who started the Stolen Generation?

The Stolen Generations refers to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who were removed from their families between 1910 and 1970. This was done by Australian federal and state government agencies and church missions, through a policy of assimilation.

What did Kevin Rudd Apologise for?

We apologise especially for the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, their communities and their country. For the pain, suffering, and hurt of these Stolen Generations, their descendants and for their families left behind, we say sorry.

How many children were separated in the Stolen Generation?

The Bringing Them Home report says that “at least 100,000” children were removed from their parents. This figure was estimated by multiplying the Aboriginal population in 1994 (303,000), by the report’s maximum estimate of “one in three” Aboriginal persons separated from their families.

How did the stolen generation stop?

The NSW Aborigines Protection Board loses its power to remove Indigenous children. The Board is renamed the Aborigines Welfare Board and is finally abolished in 1969.

When did the Stolen Generations start in Australia?

The Stolen Generations describe the many Indigenous Australians and Torres Strait Islander people who were forcibly taken from their families as children by police or welfare officers, occurring between approximately 1909 until the early 1970’s.

Are there any survivors of the Stolen Generations?

The trauma suffered by survivors of Australia’s inhumane assimilation policies over the breadth of the last century continues to resonate through generations of Indigenous families. It is astounding and unforgivable that forced removal of Indigenous children from their families is ongoing.

What can you see in the Stolen Generations Museum?

Secondary sources that will be exhibited in our museum will comprise of clips from the movie Rabbit-Proof Fence directed by Phillip Noyce which tells the story of the journey of three young girls and the impact on them after being taken away.

How did the removal policy affect the Stolen Generation?

To increase the success of removal policies, the authorities would often send the children vast distances from their Countries and families. For some of the children that were removed and forced to assimilate into White Society, they developed a shame of their Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander heritage.