Ronald Arthur interviewed by Jeannine Baker for the Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants oral history project [sound recording]
- Bib ID:
- 5717091
- Format:
- Audio
- Author:
- Arthur, ronald, 1930-2015, interviewee
- Online Access:
- National Library of Australia digitised item
- Access Conditions:
- Access open for research, personal copies and public use.
- Description:
-
- 2011
- 3 sound files (ca. 236 min.)
- Series:
- Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants oral history project.
- Technical Details:
- Mode of access: Internet via World Wide Web.
- Summary:
-
Ronald Arthur discusses his earliest memories; living in a foster home; daily routine; sleeping arrangements; physical punishments; his relationship with other foster children; schooling and teasing; not owning possessions; Christmas and birthdays; Royleston Boys Home, N.S.W.; his first day there; staff; dormitories; daily routine and chores; meals; clothing; going to church; children's ages; making friends; sports; boys being given tobacco; being aware of WWII; punishments and abuse; the treatment of sick children; Yarra Bay Boys Home; his first impressions of Yarra Bay; daily routine and chores; food and meals; staff; the treatment of Aboriginal children there; sleeping arrangements; shoes; swimming and sports; feeling well cared for; Berry Boys Training Farm (1942); the layout of the farm and buildings; daily routine and farm chores; meals; staff; cricket; going to the pictures on Saturdays; friends; being taught farming skills; learning how to fight; returning to Royleston at age 14 to be boarded out; working as a farm worker at Forbes; being sent to Dubbo; being sent to Sawtell; absconding; being arrested and returned to Royleston; being sent to work at Casula; his feelings about working for no pay; finding work in Sydney; independence; lying about his age; friends and socialising; marriage and children.
Arthur discusses his determination to give his children a good upbringing and education; not telling his children about his childhood; trying to obtain his records and wages from Child Welfare; financial hardship; joining the Australian Army (1950); Kapooka; the School of Military Engineering at Casula; becoming a sapper; becoming a sniper; being unable to serve in Korea; mateship and enjoying the Army; the Military Police and his duties; applying for a discharge; working on a sheep station; managing a property; working on the railway; building a house; working as a caretaker; working at a coal mine; working as a colliery driver; working as a carpenter; working for the Department of Main Roads; building wheat silos; other road and construction work; working as a handyman; working at Hurlstone Agricultural High School as a farmhand; workplace accidents and injuries; starting a maintenance business; retirement (1988-1989); his feelings about his lack of formal education; his feelings about having a trade and skills; hobbies; the Apology; the ongoing psychological impact of his experiences in care and not knowing his parentage; receiving his birth certificate at age 79; his wish to find relatives; the impetus for joining CLAN; the importance of his family; resilience; wishes for his children and values he considers important.
- Notes:
- Recorded on 8 and 25 August, and 8 September 2011 in Campbelltown, N.S.W.
- Index/Finding Aid Note:
- Timed summary (9 p.) available.
- Subject:
-
- Arthur, Ronald, 1930-2015 -- Interviews
- Royleston Boys Home (Glebe, N.S.W.) -- History
- Yarra Bay Boys Home (La Perouse, N.S.W.) -- History
- Berry Boys Training Farm (Berry, N.S.W.) -- History
- Children -- Institutional care -- New South Wales -- History -- 20th century
- Children -- Institutional care -- New South Wales -- Psychological aspects
- Other authors/contributors:
- Baker, Jeannine, interviewer
- Related Records:
-
This belongs to the Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants oral history project.
This collection contains 208 records. - Copyright:
-
In Copyright
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- 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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