John Walsh interviewed by Hamish Sewell in the Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants oral history project [sound recording]
- Bib ID:
- 5153279
- Format:
- Audio
- Author:
- Walsh, John, 1931-, interviewee
- Online Access:
- National Library of Australia digitised item
- Access Conditions:
- Access open for research, personal copies and public use.
- Description:
-
- 2011
- 2 sound files (ca. 229 min.)
- Series:
- Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants oral history project.
- Technical Details:
- Mode of access: Internet via World Wide Web.
- Summary:
-
John Walsh, born in Perth, W.A. talks about his family background; his schooling; being the eldest of seven children; the neighbourhood and childhood routines; his father joining the army (1939); the children being removed from home by welfare officers and Salvation Army and taken to Mt Lawley Receiving Home; his mother's condition; the deals done by Welfare and institutions to receive money, army pay and child allowance; his first placement at Castledare; Children's Court; the children being separated and taken to different institutions; abuse; field days; locations of homes; the arrival of the first English/migrant kids to W.A. (1938/9); looking after his brother and sister; being sent to Contarf (1941) to assist in cleaning up site after construction of building; then sent to Tardun, living conditions, construction of building, food, sanitation, abuse; his mother's remarriage; Brother Kearney; children referred to by numbers; binoculars; radio broadcasts; attempted escapes from Clontarf; being a Ward of State until 21; finding his mother (1948); Bindoon Orphanage, conditions.
Walsh discusses his determination to tell his story; speaking to his mother, her understanding of situation; working on a farm at Serpentine after turning 16; working at Plaistowes, Perth; having no identity; returning to farm work; police; an encounter with father on streets of Perth (1949), his condition, living on the streets, looking for family; his wife's health struggle; attempt to talk with family; tracing records and the journey into past; the Apology being meaningless without compensation; the legacy of continual grief; Brother Cusack and treatment; his brother's tough life, fighting back against injustice; the lack of education, illiteracy; Catholicism; his marriage breakup; kids turning on priests and nuns with slingshots at Tardun; surviving on bush fruit; his ongoing discussion with CLAN, responsibility being with government not church; ongoing contact with brothers and sisters, death of siblings.
- Notes:
- Recorded on 28 March 2011 in Roma, Qld.
- Index/Finding Aid Note:
- Timed summary (7 p.) and corrected transcript available (typescript, 159 leaves)
- Subject:
- Other authors/contributors:
- Sewell, Hamish, 1964-, interviewer
- Related Records:
-
This belongs to the Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants oral history project.
This collection contains 208 records. - Copyright:
-
In Copyright
You may copy under some circumstances, for example you may copy a portion for research or study. Order a copy through Copies Direct to the extent allowed under fair dealing. Contact us for further information about copying.
- Reason for copyright status:
- Until 2081 [Created/Published Date + 70 Years]
Copyright status was determined using the following information:
- Material type:
- Sound Recording
- Published status:
- Unpublished
- Creation date:
- 2011
Copyright status may not be correct if data in the record is incomplete or inaccurate. Other access conditions may also apply. For more information please see: Copyright in library collections.
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