Australias' New Stolen Generation

by Peter Clarke - Non business Tue Nov 15, 2005 11:18 Franny33 at bigpond dot net dot au Water Street Ballarat AUSTRALIA 03 5331 2359

I was 2 years old when I was taken from my parents. I spent 18 years in the catholic and public orphnagae.

My time spent there was cruel and unkind. I promised myself that I would never allow this to happen to my aboriginal baby.

I met and fell in love with a beautiful Irish lady who was studying in Australia Aboriginal Culture. We married and were blessed with a beautiful baby boy named Elliott.

When he turned two years old, my wife told me that her uncle was ill in Ireland. We talked about her and Elliott travelling back to Ireland to see them. When we organised the money, Polly assured me that she would be back in a month time.

After a month went by, my wife Polly then began to change her attitude towards me. She then told me that through her studies in Australian Aboriginal Culture, she felt it would be in the best interest that our son Elliott live and remain in Ireland.

When Elliott turned 4 years old I flew to Ireland. Two days into my stay and Polly took Elliott off to Holand and Spain for three weeks. When she got back she made a false statement to the Boyle Police and had me arrested. When I went to court the following day, the judge apologised to me and warned my wife of imprisonment for lying.

My son is now 10 years old. I have been trying desperately to speak with him for many years but I fail. As a former 'ward-of-the-state', I feel I lack the experience to be a good father to my little aboriginal baby.

As a former member of the "stolen generation", I feel the samething has been happening to me.

by cod Mon Apr 25, 2005 09:25

Oz-thingy, I am not able to grasp any correlation between the horrors and abuses to which the generations of indigenous children and their families have been subjected and the purpose or implementation of the Child Protection Act and the family highlighted. I find it insulting to the ‘Stolen Generation’ that you have attempted to make this link.

I would be loathe to be viewed as supporting the present government in Australia, but I have to say, that Act is grossly under-implemented. All too often the situation is that far too many children suffer extreme abuse at the hands of parents or in the home (either physical, sexual or psychological) and nobody steps in to advocate for or protect the kids.

I have difficulty believing that the family was denied Legal Aid assistance 'because you are wasting your time, you can’t win, the Department has too much power'. In fact, I’m confident that this particular provided reason is utter crud – perhaps they were refused Legal Aid funding but the reason for the refusal would not have been as you have stated.

I do not have the transcript of the hearings or the reasons for the decisions or the refusal of Aid reasons or the medical reports on the child in question, so I cannot really say much more than my opinion gained through experience with similar matters, but the child in question is very young and has obviously been the subject of actual bodily harm at the hands of the parents and as such, it deserves protection. Protection from violence is definitely in the child’s best interests.

As per the article to which you have referred, the mother claims that 'I used the belt as a last resort' but now it appears that the 'daughter’s extreme behaviour, which has since been modified thanks to a diet, was caused by food and environmental allergies.' Good grief! Give me a break! An alternate ‘last resort’ would have been having the kid off to doctors for poking & prodding prior to a flogging, would it not? Although this may have exposed possible physical abuse/poor nutrition/general lack of care or nurturing of the kid hmm!!

Hey - why is this on the Irish news board anyway?