This bronze statue is a memorial to all the children who suffered abuse stemming from the Queensland Govt. and Churches, not the Home Children as per my original post!
Home Children
So acknowledging my mistake I would like to expand this post to include other atrocities against children … including the more than 130,000 children that UK deported off to their colonies! Initiated by a worker and financed by philanthropists they claimed this would give these children of poor families and single mothers a brighter future in the colonies. Yet these children were treated as little more than slaves cut off from their families and separated from their siblings on arrival … these children are now elderly or deceased. Some managed to trace their families in UK and met before they died.
Knowing many of you wont click on those links above to news reports of their Survival Against ALL Odds please just google “Home Children” to read a summary on wikipedia.
Stolen Generation
It has now been documented and acknowledged that officials, again Govt and Church, ‘took’ whole generations of First Australian or Aboriginal children from their families and also trained them to be servants or slaves similar to the British children mentioned above. They lost family, culture and country and the repercussions are formidable!
Institutional Child Abuse
We have recently had a Royal Commission, official investigation, into these claims and sadly the figures against Churches is shocking with the Catholic Church taking a clear lead. The Church is now questioning whether celibacy for priests was a contributing factor but having worked in this field for years it’s more likely that paedophiles joined the priesthood knowing that they would have access to children. And the senior officials eg Cardinals, that knew of this abuse and ‘allowed’ it to continue are just as guilty as the perpetrators!
I have to raise our past mistakes to ensure that we never repeat them! And so this statue has revealed layers of abuse, SORRY to all those who suffered
Weekly Photo Challenge: Against the Odds
PS It deeply saddens me to add this link to a more recent news article about the Catholic church paying for the defence of a paedophile who is still officially a brother, who has admitted to sexually abusing more than 30 10-11 year old boys!
Edit: Feb 27 and here is the latest damning report about the British child immigrants and a new enquiry into the deportation and physical and sexual abuse cover ups …
March 3 and another link to how the Catholic Church is again sabotaging survivors of their sexual abuse! And it continues … Pope broke his promise!
This hypocrisy is outrageous! Where does it end?
aroused 
I just stumbled across this one. Not sure if you ever seen the film ‘Oranges & Sunshine’ but it tells you all you need to know about the British govt (and the ‘establishment’) and the religious institutions entrusted to look after children… https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oranges_and_Sunshine
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It’s a very moving film. Another one which moved me was ‘The Rabbit Proof Fence’
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[…] And to read more about how government and Church treated our children in a similar vein to Ben’s post search for my article “Survival“ […]
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As a believer I will never fully accept organized religion…how does it go off the rails as it does.
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in two words BLIND FAITH … we need to listen to our children and believe them when they say ‘respected’ people are abusing them!
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this is why I no longer practice the Catholic religion Day Two The Story Resumes
Have read Daniel’s blog and it is well worth clicking on this link to read his personal story of tribes lost in California!
https://losttribes98100.wordpress.com/2017/02/22/day-two-the-story-resumes/
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When we do take the time to reflect on the horrors of history; we day “it must never happen again”. Unfortunately for many that is as much time as we afford to an act of horror, terror or brutality. Those of us who attempt to raise the issue in the public arena are said to be “bleeding hearts”. The most abhorrent acts are due to man’s inhumanity to man. Mankind is the most dangerous force on the planet and I use the terms in their truest generic sense. It is right and proper that we recognize the horrors visited on the young and vulnerable in our society. The stolen of children of the British Empire deserve the recognition and apologies of many nations. The Children that were also given up for adoption and sent by groups such as Bernardo Homes to be little more than slaves to the colonies. I grew up knowings adults who were sent to Australia, as children to “escape war-time Britain”. A number of these children were told their families had died in the Blitz; they discovered in later life that their families were alive and well in the UK. These children were also a stolen generation and deserve an acknowledgment and apology for the trauma they suffered.
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Britains shame, it stunk then it still stinks. “Better Life” what cruelty – physical/sexual/mental the Government knew what was going on, the Church played their hand of course. Children were sent to the US and Canada as well, but probably more to Australia. An absolute disgrace. So pleased you have highlighted this Kate. That is a very haunting Statue in Brisbane of the young child with the suitcase, I could cry when I think children my age were sent away for a “better life”, Politicians/Church? Do you know who did the Statue, the Artist – its remarkable.
Thanks Kate, yet again for a very important blog.
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Thanks for making me do further research Anna, Gaven Fenelon created this statue which is a public memorial listed under ‘crime’ to all the children who suffered abuse from the Govt. and Church in Queensland.
So not the Home Children as I have said above – wondering where I got that idea. So now wondering whether to correct my post or leave the error to educate, both were crimes!
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