Parramatta Girls - the Living Memorial Campaign

The war on heritage in NSW

An open letter from National Trust President, Zeny Edwards: "The major restructure at the Department of Planning is yet again set to denigrate the value of heritage with the announcement of the ‘dismantling’ of the Heritage Office. The Office has been emasculated with most of its staff relocated elsewhere in the Department and only a ‘core’ left to service the Heritage Council. This move reinforces the view that heritage is a very low priority for government, being seen as the obstacle to development. Most notably, the Heritage Office has been sidelined under Part 3(A) of the NSW planning legislation, which enables Minister for Planning Frank Sartor to approve developments deemed ‘State significant’, overriding heritage and environmental policies and legislation. It is sad but true that the National Trust may be the only community advocate left to fight for heritage. Its own survival is seriously under threat because of drastic cuts to government grants. To r! ead the letter in its entirety please Download war_on_heritage.pdf"

Professor Kerry Carrington and Margaret Pereira write in support of the Parramatta Memorial

The historical site of the old Parramatta Girls Home represents a significant part of Australia’s past.  It is important that the site is retained as a reminder of the horrific abuses that were committed against young girls for almost 100 years (1887-1974).  If Australia is to come to terms with the intentional and unintentional wrongs of its past it is crucial that these deeds are recognized and a commitment is made never to allow such terrible cruelty to occur again.  The proposal for the site to be made into a Living Memorial and to be redeveloped as a National Women’s Heritage Centre and National Centre for Forgotten Australians will go a long way to achieving this.

The Australian Government has shown its willingness to admit and apologize for past wrongs inflicted on Aboriginal children who were forcibly separated from their families and placed in care. Similarly, it is important that abuse committed against the children in institutions such as Parramatta Girls Home, many of whom were Aboriginal, is recognized and used as a benchmark by which we can measure progress in terms of respectful and positive change. This does not mean that the unique experiences of Indigenous people should in any way be obscured within discourse of Aborigines being just one group of people who suffered.

To make the historical site of Parramatta Girls Home into an institution for male paedophile prisoners is particularly insensitive and inappropriate considering that many of the girls who were sent to Parramatta were sexually abused inside and outside of the institution. These young women were from a variety of social and cultural backgrounds and many were forcibly removed from their families and communities and placed in institutions like Parramatta Girls School (see Carrington, 1993 for specific case studies).  Most of these girls had not committed any offence but had merely been placed in institutions under child welfare legislation, as being neglected, exposed to moral danger, homeless, or “uncontrollable”. Many had run away from home because of sexual abuse and other violence in the home, which made their lives intolerable (see Carrington, 1993 for case studies).  Putting aside the issue of paedophilia, to continue a culture of institutionalization at the PGH site is to minimize the importance of these young women’s experiences.  Their history is an uneasy, yet inseparable and critical part of Australia’s history.

The Auschwitz Museum in Germany is a memorial which is dedicated to the memory of many thousands of Jews who were murdered at the site.  This memorial stands in recognition of the tragic events that took place under Nazi rule and families are invited to participate in ceremonies which are dedicated to the memory of their relatives who died there. Auschwitz is a dreadful symbol to the whole world of what can happen and what is humanly possible.  It is also an educational memorial to visitors, students and prisoners within a philosophy of understanding the history and symbolism of the past.  Without undermining the atrocities of Auschwitz, this example illustrates how the horrors of a nation’s past can be inverted to raise awareness and educate the public.

Parramatta Girls Home can be compared with the Magdalene Laundries at the Good Shepherd Convent in Ireland where many hundreds of young women were abused and forced to perform hard labour between 1945-1970. At least 133 of these women died at the convent, many without any record of their death. The former president of Ireland Mary Robinson acknowledged the wrongs of the past by erecting a plaque in Dublin, dedicated to the women of the laundries and the children who were born from some of the women. The Magdalene Memorial Committee is now fighting for an apology from the Irish Government. 

It is the responsibility of the New South Wales and Australian governments to ensure that historical sites are preserved and the truth of their history is told.  It is important to recognize the cruel tragedies suffered by the young women of Parramatta Girls’ Home who, through no fault of their own, were confined within the walls of that institution. Then the lives of those who were so profoundly affected can begin to heal. Australians should have access to national monuments which provide opportunities for education about past atrocities, however uneasy this may cause them to feel.  This can only be achieved if sites such as Parramatta Girls’ Home are kept open to the public and the stories of those young women can be heard first hand.

Professor Kerry Carrington                       Margaret Pereira
Transitional Head of School                     Associate Lecturer
Chair in Sociology                                        School of Behavioural,
School of Behavioural,                                Cognitive and Social Sciences
Cognitive and Social Sciences                   University of New England
The University of New England                Armidale  NSW 2351
Armidale NSW 2351


References
Carrington, K. 1993 Offending Girls: Sex, Youth & Justice, Allen & Unwin, Sydney

Unleashed: The forgotten Australians

Unleashed: The forgotten Australians.

On Wednesday last week, during ceremonies to mark the nation's apology, Bonney Djuric gave Prime Minister Rudd a letter seeking his support for a living memorial to the Forgotten Australians and the Stolen Generations in Sydney's western suburbs, on a site called the Parramatta Female Factory Precinct which has long been associated with both indigenous and non-indigenous women and children committed to institutional care. Bonney Djuric, and other 'Parramatta Girls', believe a living memorial could become a symbol of shared learning, giving voice to the voiceless and offer an economically-viable, culturally-rich environment for future Australians which would be of international standing. And it would help the healing process for a lot of people.

Read the rest of this article.

Email to federal parliamentarians

At the end of last week, I sent out an email to all of our federal parliamentarians offering some information on the Parramatta Female Factory Project Association. I'll keep you informed of any significant responses. Here is the text of the email, feel free to use it as the basis for your own emails and letters to Federal and NSW parliamentarians, relevant public servants and the media. Please personalise your letters & emails.

This week's national apology was a truly inspirational day and we hope the spirit of that day can be preserved.

I am writing in relation to a proposal for a living memorial to the Forgotten Australians and the Stolen Generations in Sydney's western suburbs, on a site called the Parramatta Female Factory Precinct which has long been associated with both indigenous and non indigenous women and children.

Bonney Djuric, and other Parramatta Girls, believe a living memorial would become a symbol of shared learning, giving voice to the voiceless, and offer an economically-viable, culturally-rich environment for future Australians which would be of international standing.

The Precinct is the site of a number of significant institutions - particularly in regards to women's history and the Forgotten Australians - including the Parramatta Female Factory (1821-1848), Roman Catholic Orphan School (1841-1886), Girls Industrial School, Parramatta Girls Home, (1887-1974), Kamballa (1974-1980) Norma Parker Detention Centre for Women (since 1980) and Parramatta Gaol (since1842).

Parramatta Girls Home gained some public attention last year when it was the subject of a Belvoir Street production ("Parramatta Girls") starring Leah Purcell. Bonney Djuric, who spent 8 months in the Parramatta in 1970, was an adviser on the play's production. Written by Alana Valentine, the play pays tribute to the courage, hardship and inequality that the Parramatta girls experienced.

In 2004, the Senate Community Affairs References Committee reported on the abuse of children in institutional care ("Forgotten Australians: A report on Australians who experienced institutional or out-of-home care as children").

Something like 500,000 Australians experienced care in an institution or some other form of out-of-home care during the last century. Many of these people have lived for decades with a legacy of depression, low self-esteem, phobias and nightmares which has in turn often led to alcoholism, drug addiction and prostitution. A large proportion of our prison population are drawn from the ranks of the 'Forgotten Australians'.

The Senate Committee found that there had been wide-scale unsafe, improper and unlawful care of children, a failure of duty of care, and serious and repeated breaches of statutory obligations.

The Committee recommended that the governments, churches and care providers should express sorrow and apologise for the physical, psychological and social harm caused by their neglect and worse.

Bonney Djuric, and the Parramatta Female Factory Precinct Association, want to save the area from from further deterioration, while promoting an interactive approach to historical and cultural preservation and they seek to create accessible public spaces that provide opportunities for participation in the arts whilst maintaining the historical integrity of the area.

We propose the implementation of a dual purpose redevelopment of the site as a National Women's Heritage Centre and the National Centre for Forgotten Australians.

We are advocating that this important site be turned into a living memorial. A recognition of the wrongs of the past but also an expression of hope for a better future for our nation and for the children who deserve better from a society as rich and sophisticated as Australia is today.

There are several websites which provide extra information: Parramatta Girls, Parramatta Female Factory Precinct Association, The Living Memorial Campaign.

We would also welcome an opportunity to discuss this proposal with you.

Please feel free to contact me or Bonney Djuric (bdjuric@tpg.com.au).

THANKS

On returning home from Canberra I've found the events of the last few days have left me with a mixture of feelings. Overwhelmed, honoured, humbled I feel words entirely inadequate to express the experience.

Later in the day I walked down to the shops wearing a T shirt with the word THANKS printed boldly on the front. People were going about their business in the usual way. I wondered whether anything had changed for them.  A few days earlier in conversation with a woman who told me of her lost family, I tried to imagine a white family in this situation - a family that lived in a community where all the babies were taken. Not just by anyone but by the police and the welfare. Who would one turn to if the authorities stole the babies? I learnt how some of the women would make a small incision in the babies skin, so that if the baby was taken they would be able to identify their child by this scarred mark. I thought about an email I received some months ago about a 6 year old white boy who had disappeared on his way home from school – I remembered all the publicity about this – the shock, horror and outrage in the community. Yet by contrast the wails and sobs of aboriginal families were never heard. I cannot express what I felt. I am truly sorry for what happened in my lifetime.

On Wednesday we rose early to take the bus to parliament. Entering through the Prime Minister’s entrance we were greeted by Kevin Rudd where he stood together with his wife Theresa and Jenny Macklin shaking the hand of every single one of the 300 or so invited elders. Shuffled down the long corridors through security checks, into lifts siphoned off into the various galleries or for the few the floor of the chamber. And as each of the former PM’s entered the chamber we stood and clapped. The PM walked in we rose in one and applauded. Preliminaries attended to he then began to speak. It was riveting. Around the galleries and on the floor people wiped their eyes. Some crumpled and wept openly, some fixed their stare. Silence listening silence. And then the words! Cheers, applauds! And to the opposition, Brendan Nelson stood. I thought to myself just say YES. No more was necessary. To the end we all stood together to applaud this great moment. A gathering for morning tea politicians everywhere and the press….families, friends, hugs, laughter, tears all together. An hour or more passed we were gathered up and bussed to the tent embassy for lunch.Everyone was relaxed, the music played and the rain didn’t fall.

That evening at dinner the mood was bouyant lighthearted, chatting, and friendly, a weight had been lifted. Groups of women got up and sang in their native language. We were honoured to have Bob Randall with us, who sang My brown skin baby they took him away…………….this time I heard all the words, not just the music. And now back in Sydney, I feel a shift in myself, a shift I hope in the Australian consciousness and so much to do. 

Why it matters

After the excitement of the last few days--the apology, the sharing, the determination in the voices of politicians and community activists alike--it's easy to think that the hardest part is over. But the real work is just beginning.

The work of honouring those whose childhoods were torn from them by a ruthless, racist, abusive system. The work of remembering those who grew up in institutions like the Parramatta Girls Home.

But it is not all about the sadness. There is the work of creating a vibrant, inclusive, open space that will be so much more than a museum. The vision of an arts site, a virtual heritage site, a research site, a story site, a tourism site, an archaeological site. The vision of a place that says to Australians and to the world, "Look how far we've come," and reminds us always of how far we have to go.

Marjorie Woodrow meets the PM

Aboriginal Elder Aunty Marjorie Woodrow was committed to Parramatta Girls Home in 1940. Prior to this she had been held at Cootamundra Girls Home. Aged 2 when stolen from her mother, Marjorie was later told that she had died. On the 22nd May 1993 Marjorie was finally reunited with her 99 year old mother who had never given up hope of seeing her baby again.

                           

On the National Apology day 14th February 2008 Marjorie was welcomed by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Jenny Macklin MP at Parliament House.

Language & Power

It's ten minutes to go until the apology airs. There's a sense of expectation, a palpable feeling of possibility. Everyone I've spoken to over the past day or so has been talking about 'where they'll be'--in Canberra to witness the historic event first hand, down at Martin Place on the big screens, at work huddled around the TVs in the conference room. I decided to stay home, to sit quietly with all the thoughts about today swirling around in my head as the words come tumbling around me.

Language and power go together. The words of apology, as I've read the text, speak to the deep injustices of policies that systematically, deliberately sought to control, oppress and destroy. But I keep coming back to one question: what next?

The Parramatta Female Factory Precinct Living Memorial Campaign is one answer to that nagging question. One answer that says to those who were wronged: we hear you. We acknowledge the forgotten history and we want to give voice to your stories and your experiences.  We want to work together to create a new national narrative, a new set of stories that include those whose lives are left out of the history books. And we want to do it in a spirit of creativity, respect and inclusion.

Let's start today.

Federal Parliament opens with historic Aboriginal welcome

NEWS.com.au.

THE Federal Parliament has opened with ceremonial welcoming from Aborigines for the first time in its 107-year history.

National Apology & Parragirls

This week we await a momentous day in Australian history. The Prime Minister’s decision to deliver an apology as the first item of business in the 2008 parliament marks the beginning of new era in politics. Across Australia and around the world, it signals our country’s ability to move forward from the deep, abiding injustices of the past and to work together to ensure that the Stolen Generations are never forgotten. We commend Kevin Rudd in his willingness to stand by his promise to say sorry to generations of Aboriginal Australians many of who belong to a group known as the Forgotten Australians.

In the spirit of reconciliation and as a concrete demonstration and commitment to all Australians, we put it to the State and Federal Government's that a living memorial be established on a site long associated with both indigenous and non indigenous women and children and the Forgotten Australians located within the North Parramatta Government Heritage site known as the Parramatta Female Factory Precinct.

We propose that Parramatta Female Factory Precinct Living Memorial could become a symbol of shared learning, giving voice to the voiceless, and offer an economically-viable, culturally-rich environment for future Australians which would be of international standing.

We fully support the National Apology and hope that this will mark the beginning of reconciliation and renewal for all Australians who experienced institutional or out-of-home care as children.

We send our love to all our aboriginal sisters who shared our experience as former inmates of the Parramatta Girls Home.

Bonney Djuric - Parragirls (ILWA)

Parramatta Female Factory Precinct

www.parragirls.org.au   www.pffp.org.au