Lives of Uncommon Children
A collection of stories written by survivors of residential institutions in Queensland, Lives of Uncommon Children: Reflections of Forgotten Australians was published by Micah Projects, on behalf of Lotus Place, to mark the tenth anniversary of Queensland’s Forde Inquiry.
"Took the Children Away"
Archie Roach’s classic album “Charcoal Lane” was a breakout hit, bringing his distinctive storytelling about experiences of child removal to a mainstream audience. Its centrepiece, “Took the Children Away,” was not the first song about the Stolen Generations, but it possibly had the biggest impact, making Archie Roach a household name. He won two ARIA Awards in 1991 – for Best New Talent, and Best Indigenous Release, and “Took the Children Away” was nominated for Best Breakthrough Single. “Took the Children Away” also won an International Human Rights Achievement Award.
"My Brown Skin Baby"
Bob Randall’s song “My Brown Skin Baby” has been described as “the first anthem of the Stolen Generations”. “Tjilpi” Bob Randall was a Yankunytjatjara musician, writer and leader. Aged seven he was removed from his mother and taken to Alice Springs and then Arnhem Land, far from his home. The song, which was based on his own family’s experiences, came to popular attention through the ABC’s documentary series Chequerboard, when it was featured in an episode called “My Brown Skin Baby, They Take ‘im Away.”
Women of the Sun
Women of the Sun is a four-part drama series that was aired on SBS, telling stories from Australian history from Aboriginal perspectives. In Episode 2, set in 1895, children are removed from their home by the Protector of Aborigines, separated from each other and sent to an institutional children’s home. It was one of the first dramatisations of what would come to be known as the Stolen Generations.
Link-Up Diary
This documentary film, directed by David McDougall and funded by the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies (later known as AIATSIS), follows the work of Link-Up in NSW as they reunited a family that had been separated. It tells the stories of Coral Edwards and Peter Read. It was the third in a trilogy of documentary features, following It's a Long Road Back (1981) and Lousy Little Sixpence (1983).
Lousy Little Sixpence
This was a documentary film narrated by Chicka Dixon, and made by Coral (Oomera) Edwards. It features interviews with Aboriginal people whose families were affected by separation. It was the second in a series of documentary features after It's a Long Road (1981) and before Link Up Diaries (1987).
It's a Long Road Back
Directed by Oomera (Coral) Edwards, this was the first in a series of documentary films telling the story of separation of Aboriginal children, funded by the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies (later known as AIATSIS). Others include Lousy Little Sixpence (1983) and Link-Up Diaries (1987).
Inside: Life in Children's Homes and Institutions
An exhibition by the National Museum of Australia in Canberra, about the experiences of children who spent time institutionalised in the twentieth century. The exhibition toured cities in Australia before forming a small permanent exhibition space at the National Museum, and an online collection.
Australian Orphanage Museum
Care Leavers Australasia Network (CLAN) manages and operates the Australian Orphanage Museum in Geelong, Victoria. It opened on 1 April 2023.
The Leaving of Liverpool
TV mini-series broadcast over three evenings on the ABC in Australia, and the BBC in the UK. It tells the story of children forced to migrate from the UK to Australia in the 1950s, and their experiences in institutions. It was a widely-viewed show that helped entrench the experiences of child migrants in the popular consciousness.
