Just a warning that today’s episode includes (non-descriptive) mentions of the physical and sexual abuse of children as well as mentions of historically used racist language.
This week, we’re looking at a campaign for the return of stolen Whadjuk Noongar land, in the colonial city of perth, western australia.
One of the most brutal genocidal strategies carried out by colonial governments resulted in the stolen generations. From the mid 1800s, a series of policies throughout the states and territories allowed for Aboriginal children to be removed from their families and put into state care or adopted to white families. Aside from being separated permanently from family and community, these children were frequently forced into hard labour, abused and even murdered. The policy of child removal was not officially ended until the 1970’s, and continued into the 1980’s in the colonial state of queensland. The forced removal of Aboriginal children from their families continues today through policing and carceral racism.
Under a 1905 act in colonial western australia, A.O Neville, the so-called ‘chief protector of aborigines’ was made the legal guardian of all Aboriginal children and embarked on a campaign to abduct children with lighter skin and raise them under European servitude, with the aim to breed out Aboriginality.
In 1933, during Neville’s eugenics program, an anglican nun known as Sister Kate set up a home for ‘light skinned’ Aboriginal children in the outskirts of colonial perth. Contact with family was forbidden and the children were encouraged to believe they were white.
In 1953 Sister Kate’s home was taken over by the Uniting Church and conditions rapidly deteriorated for the children, who suffered horrific psychological, physical and sexual abuse, forced labour and neglect for decades.
Following a national inquiry into the stolen generations in 1997, known as the ‘Bringing Them Home’ report, the Uniting Church committed to help repair the damage that they had caused to the children and their families. Recommendation 41 of the Bringing Them Home Report states that churches should ‘review their land holdings to identify land acquired or granted for the purpose of accommodating Indigenous children forcibly removed from their families and in consultation with Indigenous people and their land councils, return that land’
In 2007 an agreement between the Uniting Church Australia and the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress led to the establishment of the Beananging Kwuurt Institute, a social space to provide support for Aboriginal people on the former site of Sister Kate’s.
In December last year the Uniting Church shut down the centre and are attempting to take the land away from Noongar people again.
Barkandji woman Bev Burns believes the church will sell the site to developers in order to pay the redress bill for past abuse.
Bev was asked by the Noongar elders to speak for this interview, as some of them have faced threats and wish to remain anonymous.
If you want to learn more about the Occupy Sister Kate’s campaign:
You can follow Land Back for Stolen Generations on Instagram.
You can also go to actionnetwork.org/petitions/uniting-church-must-return-land-back-for-stolen-generations to sign the petition
You can donate at BSB 062 948 and Account number 39179787.
This episode was made on Wurundjeri land, this land was invaded, stolen and remains under occupation. Colonial violence continues, as does Indigenous resistance.
The Sunday Paper and Podcast remain independent, not for profit and reader and listener supported.
Our theme music was made by DOBBY.
Matt Chun is our executive producer.
The podcast is compiled, mixed and edited by Mell Chun.
