Matt Ottley's Requiem For A Beast

Central to Bird’s argument for the importance of reconciliation is the structural organization of the book. It is this that allows her to compare and contrast convergent and divergent views on the stolen generation and, convey the diversity of Australian voices from the personal to the official.

Annotated Bibliography: INDG 1160 Colbung, K., ‘On being Aboriginal: a personal statement’, in Berndt, C. and Berndt, R. (eds.), Aborigines of the West: Their Past and Present, Perth, University of Western Australia Press, 1980, pp. 100-105. In this concise, yet powerful proclamation of self, Ken Colburg a Noongyar man and chair of the Aboriginal Land trust describes growing up in a time of extreme oppression of his people. He depicts the prolific way the Australian government has defined the Aborigines through a series of legislation instead of letting his culture have the freedom to self-identify. This statement was written in 1980 during a controversial time where mining bills superseding the previous land grant legislation.

The ‘Stolen Generations’ is a term used to describe the actions of which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, mostly children, were taken away from their families between the 1890’s and the 1970’s (Korff, 2014). Children were taken to institutions or adopted by non-Indigenous families and most never saw their families again. In the early 1900’s the Australian public was persuaded into believing Aboriginal children were deprived, mistreated and at risk in their own communities. People believed that Aboriginal children would receive a better education, a more loving and caring family and a more civilised upbringing if adopted by white families or government institutions. In reality Aboriginal children were being removed so that they

Between 1890s and 1970s, children, in particular Indigenous children roughly between ages two to four were forcefully taken away from their parents. These children are known as “Stolen Generations”, one of the darkest chapters of the Australian History. The term “Indigenous” comes from the Latin word “indigena” which means “a native”. This term is used to refer to native Australians, both Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders. The removal of children begun in the early days of white settlement (European) then later became an official Australian policy until 1969.

Aboriginal children forcefully removed from their families, known as “The Stolen Generation”. The Stolen Generation as

Australia has stalled the process of addressing the issues of former governments as the nation possesses a narrow mindset of not being responsible for other people’s actions. Many continue to deny the existence of the Stolen Generation as Howard stated, “I didn’t believe genocide had taken place, and I still don’t.” (Howard’s statement, the Guardian) Due to the failure to act in a just and sympathetic manner, it has resulted in 16,846 Aboriginal children in out-of-home care in 2016, in comparison to 2,785 Aboriginal children in 1997. Australia must remove the finger from the national pause button to provide comfort for the deserving Aborigines who were exposed to prolonged suffering, abuse and persecution. The past, present and future generations need to apologise as it is a continuous lifelong struggle for Aborigines as “it never goes away. Just ‘cause we’re not walking around on crutches, doesn’t mean we’re not hurting.” (Confidential Evidence 580, Queensland Bringing Them Home Report.) Australia’s patriotic society lacks nationalistic sorrow towards the victims affected by these policies. This proves that Australians of this generation are obligated to feel remorse as the insensitivity towards Aboriginals

The Oxford dictionary defines the stolen generation as: “The Aboriginal people forcibly removed from their families as children between the 1900s and the 1960s, to be brought up by white foster families or in institutions.” But what the oxford definition cannot tell us is the horrible impacts of the stolen generation on the stolen children, their families, the Aboriginal culture and Australia as a Nation. The stolen generation was caused by European Australians belief that Aboriginal people were inferior to them, a belief stemming from the fact that the Aboriginal people had not industrialised and therefore they appeared primitive to European Australians whom had industrialised in the 1700s. The European Australians also believed that the

In the history of Australia it has been documented that government policies were implemented to remove Indigenous children from their families. The aim to forcibly remove the children was to break connections with their family, culture and traditional land . This essay will examine Australia’s obligation in regard to these international crimes; systematic discrimination, genocide and breaching duty of care. This will be followed by the establishment of the right to reparations in Australia for violating international law. International law offers a wide range of remedies for breach of human rights law. However the weakness in Australia’s legal system makes it difficult for the victims of stolen generation to bring claim international human

Australia is often presented as a heroic and extraordinary tale of triumph that changed this nation, but many refuse or are ignorant of the horrific slaughter and massacres of the Aboriginal people. This exhibition depicts the bloody and gruesome side of Australian History that many Australians are unaware of. The start of European settlement during 1788 to the start of the Australian nation being born in 1901, led a trail of massacres, inhumane treatment, enslavement and racism started by the first settlers and passed onto generations of white Australians. The First Settlers refused to understand the Aboriginal way of life as they were believed to be racially inferior and unfit to adapt towards the European lifestyle led to the Europeans

From 1910 to 1970 an Assimilation policy was proposed to ‘die out’ indigenous people by manipulating indigenous children who were forcibly removed from their families to adopt themselves into white culture and forget their own. The generations of children removed under this policy were known as the ‘Stolen Generations.’ These children that were taken was left a legacy of trauma and loss that continues to affect indigenous communities, families and individuals. To retell this dark history of Australia, characters are important to illustrate the raw essence of stolen generations through the perspective of a child taken away or a parent of that child as such to have a great impact on the audience as they are able to visualise their journey and see their development through the course of their experiences.

The Stolen Generation. It was, no it is a major part of Australian history. It is horrible and unthinkable. It was thought to be one of the darkest times in Australian history because the “Whites” treated the Aboriginals as inferior and that they should follow their rules, even if the British were the ones who invaded them. From a number of sources the public can see that Aboriginal people had so many terrible things happen to them. They had their children taken away from them. Their culture and native customs, even their names and identities were striped from them. Why did this happen? What was the reason behind this? The answers to these questions are still being searched for. A powerful and startling example of how

The Stolen Generations is a dark chapter in Australia 's history, which saw the breaching of the eighth commandment – ‘You shall not steal’

What happened to those Aboriginal children in New South Wales who were taken away from their parents, either living on government reserves and stations, by government legislation, and put in the care of the whites. It is the story of the attempt to ‘breed out’ the Aboriginal race. It’s the story of stolen generation. How has the stolen generation effected the aboriginal and Torres Strait islands. All aspects of their lives are affected. Some enter a lifelong search for their parents, others never succeed as parents themselves and turn to substance abuse. Many feel they are living a life surrounded by ghosts- people they don’t know but

On February 13th 2008, the Prime Minister of Australia, Kevin Rudd, finally apologised on behalf of Australia, to the Stolen Generation for the terrible events that occurred in 1960’s and 1970’s where many Aboriginal children had been forced away from their families. This report first shows a deeper understanding of the event and its outcomes. Then, it looks at what effect it had on Aboriginal communities. Then it looks at what it has done to help other Indigenous communities around the globe. Finally, the report shows how the apology was, to a lesser extent, ineffective.

In 2008, the Prime Minister of Australia, Kevin Rudd, officially apologized to the the Stolen Generations. The Stolen Generations were children who were forcibly removed from their Aboriginal families. Robert Brault, an American singer born in 1963, once said: “Life becomes easier when you learn to accept an apology you never got.” In this essay, I will deliberate and reflect this statement.