Aboriginal Family Research is not a lighthearted topic.  After being involved on both sides of the child protection fence (as an Aboriginal child in care and as an Aboriginal person working in the child protection statutory system), I have been able to identify different types and degrees of Aboriginal disconnectedness, which dictates the approach in which I then undertake in my research. It is of course an extremely sensitive topic for so may reasons, least of all because our Aboriginal history of genocide and assimilation is so recent that it sits within living memory for many of us. The wounds are real and raw.

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White Australia Policy

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Most people believe the White Australia Policy was one policy dictating the removal of our people, however it was a collection of Federal Government Policies such as the Immigration Act of 1901 and the Defense ACT 1903 that were designed for one reason...to keep Australia white! These legislative Acts not only affected Aboriginal people, but impacted the lives of every other person of colour living in Australia who either originated from other cultures and countries or who wanted to immigrate to Australia. Additionally, these policies even prevented Aboriginal men who wanted to serve their country in war, from enlisting in WWI. Anyone who was NOT of British heritage, such as the Chinese where unjustly persecuted and discriminated against. South Sea Islanders, Indian Peoples from Asia and even Continental Europeans where targets. Also keeping in mind that each state had a version of the Aborigines Protection Act which allowed total control over Aboriginal peoples lives. These laws both restricted and limited almost every aspect of Aboriginal Peoples existence, from birth to death.

The Stolen Generations is a term referring to the generations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who were taken - 'Removed' - from the care of their families and communities, which was a direct result of these government policies. In the early days our people were rounded up and placed on Reservations and Missions, many of which still exist today. As time went on there was a 'realisation' that these 'dark people' were not dying out or becoming extinct as was the plan, but they were surviving and numbers were slowly growing. The authorities changed the approch...it would be easier to breed the 'native out' and assimilate them rather then try to exterminate them. and with this, Aboriginal children became the target. The child removals that took place under the legislated Policies and Acts were supported and acted upon not only by governments agencies but by various churches under the guise of needing to 'Save the black man' - Save the natives -Save the heathens'. Additionally other various welfare bodies also undertook removals. Aboriginal children where gathered up from their parents, families and communities, in NSW they were generally placed in institutional homes such as Bomederry Aboriginal Babies Home, Cootamundra Girls Training Home and Kinchela Boys Home, where they could be trained to be white. In later years, Aboriginal children removed were placed into the  Out of Home Care, aka Foster Care system.

Sadly...genocide and assimilation have been common themes for our people since the British colonisation began in 1788.

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