A Survivor's Story: Bronwyn Smith and the Stolen Generations
"In 1969, while in grade three, Smith was told by police, the principal, and the manager of the Aboriginal girls' dormitory that she must go to the dormitory and not return home. No guardian was present."
Individual Accounts of Removal and Institutional Life
Bronwyn Smith's Account (Queensland, 1969)
A 62-year-old Wakka Wakka woman, Bronwyn Smith, has publicly detailed her forced removal from her family at age nine and her subsequent four years in the Cherbourg Aboriginal Girls' Dormitory in Queensland.
The daily routine included waking at 5 a.m. and carrying scalding water to mop floors. Children were not permitted to leave or have contact with parents or siblings in other dormitories without permission. Smith's brothers lived in the boys' dormitory; she once held their hands through a picket fence after spotting them.
She was released from the dormitory at approximately age 13, after which she had brief visits with her mother under strict conditions.
Valerie Wenberg's Account
Valerie Wenberg was forcibly removed as a toddler and provided testimony about her history of institutionalization and abuse. Her siblings died in children's institutions. She was sent to Cootamundra Aboriginal Girls Home and Parramatta Girls Home, where she endured further trauma.
Robert West's Account (Cherbourg, Queensland)
Robert West was taken to Cherbourg Aboriginal Mission at age 10. He was separated from his mother and subjected to strict discipline.
"I was the sole surviving member of my immediate family to hear it," West said of the 2008 national apology, which he described as an emotional experience.
National Context and Historical Background
The 1997 Bringing Them Home inquiry found that from 1910 to 1970, between 1 in 10 and 1 in 3 Indigenous children were forcibly removed from their families.
In Queensland, Indigenous children could be lawfully removed under the Industrial and Reformatory Schools Act from 1865, which defined any child born to an Aboriginal or "half-caste" mother as "neglected." Children were placed in institutions, fostered, or adopted by non-Indigenous families, with many suffering harsh treatment and sexual abuse.
The Bringing Them Home report was tabled nearly 30 years ago. A 2025 independent review, "Are you waiting for us to die?", found that only 5 of 83 recommendations from the report had been implemented.
As of 2024, close to 20,000 Indigenous children were in out-of-home care, representing more than 44% of all children in care.
Recent Government Action and Calls for Reform
New Funding
Minister for Indigenous Australians, Malarndirri McCarthy, announced new funding of $87 million. This funding aims to improve support services, including family tracing and reunification, and to advocate for trauma-informed health and aged care services for affected families.
McCarthy acknowledged the harm caused by past government policies and the ongoing distress experienced by survivors.
The Healing Foundation Report ("From Sorry to Action")
Released ahead of Sorry Day commemorations, the report calls for federal and state governments to:
- Provide trauma-informed, culturally safe aged care
- Remove medical co-payments for survivors
- Establish a comprehensive redress scheme in all states and territories
- Create an access and priority card for survivors to access primary health and aged care services
Shannon Dodson, CEO of the Healing Foundation, stated that most survivors are now eligible for aged care and require trauma-informed approaches to avoid re-traumatisation. Dodson said momentum since the 2007 apology has stalled, with piecemeal action from states and territories.
Healing Foundation Chairman Steve Larkin highlighted the urgency of implementing solutions to ease the burden on survivors.
Status of Reparations Schemes
Queensland is the only Australian jurisdiction without a dedicated reparations scheme for Stolen Generations survivors. Western Australia announced its reparations scheme in May of the previous year.
Bronwyn Smith called for Queensland to establish a reparations scheme. Robert West expressed frustration regarding the lack of a scheme in Queensland.
18th Anniversary of the National Apology
Survivors recently gathered in Canberra to commemorate the 18th anniversary of the apology delivered by then-Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in 2008.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese addressed the anniversary, describing the 2008 apology as an "honest reckoning with our history" and a recognition of the harm caused by separating children from their families and culture.
Valerie Wenberg noted the profound impact of the 2008 apology, describing its deep emotional resonance despite evoking painful memories.