History of the Stolen Generations

By OldTimeyTarni

  • The First Fleet lands in Port Jackson

    British settlement begins. Fights between Aboriginal people and the settlers are reported over the next 10 years in the Parramatta and Hawkesbury areas.

  • First 'native institution'

    The practice of removing Aboriginal children from their families began in the early days of European settlement. Children were used as slaves, servants, and farm labourers. Native institutions were set up to 'civilise' Aboriginal children.

  • 'Protectors of Aborigines' appointed

    The British Select Committee recommended that 'Protectors of Aborigines' be appointed in June of 1837. The duties of a Protector was to attach yourself to the people of the district; watch over the interests of the Aborigines and prevent the taking of their property; to run the education of the Aboriginal children; to promote the Christian religion; to learn the language of the people; to be held accountable for clothing and resources; and to conduct a census of the Aborigines in your district.

  • The Aborigines Protection Act (VIC)

    The Aborigines Protection Act (Victoria) establishes the Aborigines Protection Board in Victoria to manage the interests of Indigenous people. The Governor can order the removal of any child from their family to a reformatory or industrial school. The Protection Board can remove children from families to live in dormitories. Later, similar acts were passed in other colonies: NSW (1883), Queensland (1897), WA (1905), and SA (1911)

  • Aborigines Protection Board (NSW)

    Following Victoria's Protection Board, NSW establishes their own Aborigines Protection Board to manage the lives of over 9000 people. 'Mission' schools are set up on reserves with untrained teaches (mostly Managers' wives): 13 Aboriginal schools by 1900, 40 by 1930. They were usually the only option for Aboriginal children who were excluded from public schools.

  • Aboriginal Protection and Restriction of the Sale of Opium Act (QLD)

    It allowed the Chief Protector to remove local Aboriginal people onto and between reserves and hold children in dormitories. Until 1965, the Director of Native Welfare was the legal guardian of all 'aboriginal' children whether their parents are living or not.

  • The Aborigines Act (WA)

    The Aborigines Act (Western Australia) is passed. Under this law, the Chief Protector is made the legal guardian of every 'half caste' Aboriginal child under 16.

  • Aborigines Protection Act (NSW)

    The Aborigines Protection Act (NSW) gave the Aboriginal Protection Board power to assume full control and custody of the child of any Aboriginal person if a court found the child to be neglected under the Neglected Children and Juvenile Offenders At 1905 (NSW).

  • The Aborigines Amending Act (NSW)

    The Aborigines Protection Amending Act (NSW) gave power to the Aboriginal Protection Board to separate Indigenous children from their families without the need to establish in court that they were neglected.

  • Policy of Assimilation

    A policy of assimilation was adopted by the first Commonwealth and State Conference on 'native welfare'. It integrated Aboriginal people into Australian society. Those who were removed were not told they were Aboriginal, or were told to reject their heritage. Their names were changed. They were forbidden to speak their own languages. Removed children had little to no contact with their family. They were told their family was dead, or didn't want them anymore.

  • Aborigines Protection Board loses power (NSW)

    The NSW Aborigines Protection Board loses its power to remove Indigenous children. The Board is renamed the Aboriginal Welfare Board and is abolished in 1969.

  • Abolition of child removal

    All states abolished the legislation allowing for the removal of Aboriginal children under the policy of 'protection'.

  • 'My Brown Baby' is released by Bob Randall

    Aboriginal elder Bob Randall releases his song 'My Brown Skin Baby'. The song was recognised as a powerful and emotional response to the trauma of children being taken away from their families. The song came to attention in 1970 when it was played on the ABC'S documentary series 'Chequerboard' in an episode called 'My Brown Skin Baby, They Take 'im Way'. It was the first time Australian media had brought to light the practice of taking Aboriginal children from their families.

  • Aboriginal Land Rights Act (NT)

    The Aboriginal Land Rights (NT) Act is passed by the Commonwealth Parliament in 1976. It provides recognition of Aboriginal land ownership, granting land rights to 11,000 Aboriginal people.

  • Link-UP Aboriginal Corporation (NSW)

    Link-UP (NSW) Aboriginal Corporation is established. It provided family tracing, reunion, and support for forcibly removed children and their families.

  • The term 'Stolen Generations' is created

    The term 'stolen' was used since 1915 to describe the removal of Aboriginal children. Patrick McGarry opposed the Aborigines Protection Amending Act, saying it allowed the Board to 'steal the child away from its parents.' 'Stolen Generations' was coined by Professor Peter Read in 1981 and gained popularity in the 80s and 90s, leading up to the 'Bringing Them Home Report' in 1997. Some, like Keith Windschuttle and Andrew Bolt, criticize the term, leading to the 'Stolen Generations Debate.'

  • 'Took the Children Away'

    Archie Roach, a Stolen Generations survivor, wrote and recorded 'Took the Children Away', a song based on his own experiences. It gained significance as it was released during a time of growing public attention towards the issue. The song was nominated for an ARIA award in 1991 and won Roach the Human Rights Achievement Award. In 2013, 'Took the Children Away' was added to the National Film and Sound Archive's 'Sounds of Australia'.

  • 'From Little Things Big Things Grow'

    'From Little Things Big Things Grow' by Paul Kelly and the Messengers is a protest song about the Gurindji Strike, which led to the 'Aboriginal Land Rights Act' in 1976. The song tells the story of the Gurindji's fight to reclaim their traditional lands from the cattle station they worked on. In 2008, a cover of the song by 'The GetUp Mob' was released with samples from speeches by Prime Ministers Keating and Rudd, and vocals from other Australian artists, including Paul Kelly.

  • 'Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence'

    In 1996, Doris Pilkington published 'Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence', a novel that recounts the true story of her Aboriginal mother Molly, Daisy, and Gracie, who were taken from their families at Jigalong and sent to Moore River. They were assimilated into white culture and moved to rural Western Australia until their escape in 1931. The three trekked over 1600 km by following the rabbit-proof fence -a pest-exclusion fence that crosses WA north to south - all the way home.

  • Bringing Them Home Report

    The Bringing Them Home report is the National Inquiry's findings into the separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from their Families. The report led Victoria, Tasmania, ACT, NSW, SA, and WA governments to publicly apologise to the Stolen Generations. It raised awareness about historical forced removal policies and documented the intergenerational impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The report shocked Australians, but the government was slow to respond.

  • First National Sorry Day

    The first National Sorry Day - Thousands of people write messages in 1000 'Sorry Books' as part of a 'People's Apology'.

  • 'Follow the Rabbit Proof Fence' (film)

    Philip Noyce directed and produced a film adaptation of 'Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence', loosely based on the true story of Molly, Daisy, and Gracie. The film depicts their escape from Moore River Native Settlement and journey along the rabbit-proof fence back to Jigalong, pursued by authorities and an Aboriginal tracker. It highlights the child removal policy in Australia and its impact on the 'Stolen Generations'. The film had a mixed reception, from outrage to admiration.

  • 'The Fabrication of Aboriginal History Volume One'

    Keith Windschuttle's 'The Fabrication of Aboriginal History Volume One', rewrites the history of Tasmania, arguing that violence between whites and Aborigines was exaggerated. Windschuttle tallied 118 'plausible' Aboriginal deaths using official documents and newspaper reports. The book received significant media attention and aimed to present an alternative version of the country's race relations.

  • 'Whitewash: on Keith Windschuttle's Fabrication of Aboriginal History'

    A book called 'Whitewash: on Keith Windschuttle's Fabrication of Aboriginal History' is published. Many historians were unable to defend allegations levelled against Windschuttle's 'alternative history' and question the evidence until Whitewash was published. It gathered Australia's leading writers on Aboriginal history to provide a further look into Windschuttle's arguments and to recount the history of one of the most tragic episodes in the history of Australia.

  • James Boyce's Article

    James Boyce of UTAS critiques Keith Windschuttle's book 'Fabrication'. Boyce questions the comprehensiveness of Windschuttle's sources and the production of a tally of 'only' 118 'plausible' deaths. Boyce questions how the book aims to produce a 'counter history of race relations' in Australia, particularly in its claims that Aborigines died from disease and their culture's abuse of women, and that their main motivation for killing white people was to steal goods.

  • The Apology

    Prime Minister Kevin Rudd formally apologizes on behalf of the government to the Stolen Generations. The speech, acknowledging the profound grief, suffering, and loss inflicted on Indigenous children by the laws and policies of successive governments, was met with applause, tears, and relief from thousands of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples gathered outside and watching on television. The Apology is considered a milestone step towards reconciliation.

  • Peter Read's Article

    Peter Read's BBC News article rebuts Keith Windschuttle's claims on the Stolen Generations, accusing him of hasty research and inaccurate evidence. Read points out that babies were often taken at birth and not recorded. He criticizes Windschuttle for neglecting the removal of children born to unmarried Aboriginal mothers, who were unlikely able to keep their children. Read ends by calling it an insult to the Stolen Generations to be told their history was created by recent academic historians.

  • 'Denial: History Betrayed'

    Tony Taylor writes a book attacking Windschuttle for writing Fabrication called 'Denial: History Betrayed'. Chapter six of Denial is titled 'Failing the Scholarly Test: Australian Denial and the Art of Pseudohistory', where Taylor attempts to tag Windschuttle a 'denialist', although it doesn't clearly state what Windschuttle has falsely denied.

  • 'Holes in the Rabbit-Proof Fence' article

    Windschuttle's article exposes the The Rabbit Proof-Fence's inaccuracies and emphasizes that it was a work of dramatic fiction, not a portrayal of history. He refutes the violent removal scene and clarifies that the girls were removed because they were unsafe at their home in Jigalong, not to 'breed out the colour.' The filmmakers did minimal research and adapted the book with creative license.

  • Everlyn Sampi Interview

    Oliver Laughland's article interviews Everlyn Sampi, the actor who played Molly in 'Rabbit-Proof Fence', showing the film in a positive light. Despite Andrew Bolt's 2009 criticism, Laughland notes the genuine support around Sampi since her casting. Sampi explains how the film changed her life, receiving praise from both Indigenous and non-Indigenous viewers. Sampi says, 'They cry when they see me [on screen] and it makes me proud. It makes me feel that I actually did something.'

  • 'The Children Came Back'

    Hip-hop artist Briggs releases a song titled 'The Children Came Back'. It was a tribute to Archie Roach and his song 'Took the Children Away'. The song commemorates Indigenous Australians who have triumphed despite the Government's policies such as cultural assimilation ones that removed children from their families. The song celebrated Indigenous heroes, the cultures and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and people like Jimmy Little, Cathy Freeman, and Adam Goodes.

  • Peter Dutton's Apology

    Peter Dutton apologises for boycotting Kevin Rudd's 2008 apology to the Stolen Generations as the only opposition frontbencher to vote against it. He apologised, saying, 'I apologise for my actions. I failed to grasp the symbolic significance of the apology.' Indigenous Australians minister Linda Burney thanked him for his apology, saying it was important to 'grow and learn'. She began her address with lyrics from the song 'Took the Children Away' by Archie Roach.