The Alliance for Forgotten Australians (forgottenaustralians.org.au) have produced a series of Life Stories about the lives of some of the Forgotten Australians who endured hardship, poverty and cruelty at the hands of people who were supposed to care for them. Many of them were child migrants who were brought from overseas orphanages and sent to institutions run by religious organisations. They were often forced to work long hours instead of receiving care and an education.
The Life Stories Project has given many Forgotten Australians or Care Leavers as they are sometimes referred to, an opportunity to tell their story and have their life experience affirmed and validated.
As a service that provides assistance with care and housing for vulnerable older adults it is important for us to be aware of people’s life stories so that we can ensure that we refer them to services that are culturally safe for them and don’t evoke memories of past trauma. An example of the way we do this is not referring them to organisations that are run by the religious organisations which were complicit in their suffering and trauma.
Listening to people’s stories is one of the most respectful and nurturing services that we offer at HAAG and all of our staff are empathetic and caring and know the importance of this most valuable service.
My brother in law, Alex Agius was a Forgotten Australian and we have a copy of his incredible story on our windowsill bookshelf in the HAAG office. He overcame extreme trauma and suffering and after joining the Jesuits he dedicated his adult life to helping the homeless on the streets of St. Kilda in the 80’s and later in his life helped many forgotten Australians to access the National Redress Scheme for those who have experienced institutional child sexual abuse.
You can also view videos of other peoples stories at forgottenaustralians.org.au/resources