Acknowledgements
National Apology
On the 16th of November 2009, with support from Opposition leader Malcolm Turnbull, then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd issued a national apology. This apology was addressed to all Forgotten Australians and Child Migrants. The apology was made in Canberra to an audience of Forgotten Australians and broadcast across the country8.
Remembrance Day
Remembrance Day has been an annual event since 1999, where Australians come together to remember and acknowledge those who are survivors of childhood abuse while being under the church or state care and the mistreatment that they lived through in these homes.
Child Abuse Memorial Statue
This statue was organised by the Historical Abuse Network and Survivors of Institutional Child Abuse organisations with funding from the QLD Government. The bronze statue sculpted by Gavan Fenelon was unveiled on 1 December 2004 and is dedicated to all the children who suffered or did not survive abuse in institutions within Queensland9.
UK Apology
On the 24th of February 2010, UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, along with the Opposition leader David Cameron, issued an apology on behalf of the entire nation for the Child Migrant Schemes and the ongoing effects of this scheme10.
New South Wales Memorial
A memorial for the Forgotten Australians in South Australia was unveiled on 17 June 2010 at Peace Park at the corner of Sir Edwin Smith Avenue and Brougham Place. The monument consists of four large stainless-steel daises each in a different state of blooming, as a symbol of hope and healing for children who suffered abuse in out-of-home care. The memorial was unveiled by several Forgotten Australians, with nearly 200 Care Leavers in attendance.
South Australia Memorial
A memorial for the Forgotten Australians in South Australia was unveiled on 17 June 2010 at Peace Park at the corner of Sir Edwin Smith Avenue and Brougham Place. The monument consists of four large stainless-steel daises each in a different state of blooming, as a symbol of hope and healing for children who suffered abuse in out-of-home care. The memorial was unveiled by several Forgotten Australians, with nearly 200 Care Leavers in attendance.
Victoria Memorial
The Victorian memorial for Forgotten Australians was unveiled on 25 October 2010 at Southbank Promenade, next to the river. The monument recognises al Victorian Forgotten Australians who spent time in orphanages, children’s homes or foster care as children. It is a lasting memorial of the experience of care leavers.
Western Australia Memorial
The memorial for Western Australian Forgotten Australians was held on 10 December 2010 and stands on the grassed area in front of the Western Australian Museum’s Jubilee Building, Perth Cultural Centre, James Street, Perth. The memorial titled ‘Unfolding Lives (Chatterbox)’ was created by local artist Judith Forrest and was modelled on a children’s fortune telling game made of folded paper, it shows the lines as if from an old exercise book, and the corners and flaps bear the words of Forgotten Australians themselves about their experiences and their present situations. On 8 May 2023, a rededication ceremony of the Western Australian Memorial for Forgotten Australians was hosted by Tuart Place in collaboration with Government of Western Australia, Department of Justice.
Tasmania Memorial
The memorial for the Forgotten Australians in Tasmania is the rose walk in the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens in Hobart. The rose walk was dedicated by Lin Thorpe MLC, Minister for Human Services.
Tasmania Memorial
A second memorial for Tasmanian Forgotten Australians was unveiled on 18 September 2017 and is located in the Rosny Park Golf Course, where people can sit, reflect, remember and grieve.
Northern Territory Memorial
The memorial for Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants in Darwin was unveiled on 16 November 2017, which coincided with the 8th anniversary of the National Apology to Forgotten Australians. The Acknowledgement Seat was completed by the join initiative of Relationships Australia Northern Territory, the City of Darwin and the Alliance for Forgotten Australians. The second Acknowledgement Seat for Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants is placed in Alice Springs and was unveiled on the same day as the memorial in Darwin, Northern Territory.
