James Luthy interviewed by Hamish Sewell in the Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants oral history project [sound recording]
- Bib ID:
- 5481493
- Format:
- Audio
- Author:
- Luthy, James, 1951-, 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. 184 min.)
- Series:
- Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants oral history project.
- Technical Details:
- Mode of access: Internet via World Wide Web.
- Summary:
-
James Luthy, born in Blaxland, N.S.W., discusses his parents and family background; early memories; his siblings; social attitudes at the time in regard to illegitimacy; being put into the care of a retired missionary; having no contact with his parents; his guardian denying him access to information about his childhood; domestic duties and hard work; discipline and punishments; his feelings about and relationship with his guardian; being sent to Gill Memorial Home for Boys in Goulburn; his first memories of Gill; the history of Gill; the grounds; children being assigned numbers; rules; dinner time and meals; hunger; domestic chores; the dearth of presents and toys; thefts; fights and social hierarchies amongst the boys; routine and regimentation; walking to school; drum band; sports; clothing and uniforms; punishments, discipline and abuse; officer training; child endowments received by Gill; the town, church and schools surrounding Gill; the demographics of Goulburn at the time; negative community attitudes towards children from Homes.
Luthy discusses his feelings of solidarity with other boys from the Home; his schooling; his sense of low educational expectations had for Home boys; a lack of education amongst former wards and the capacity for this to disempower them; having to leave the Home abruptly and returning to live with his guardian; employment; his attitudes towards food and eating; his attitudes towards authority; his struggle for financial stability; his work ethic and success; completing tertiary education; the importance of records and the lack of records which exists about his childhood; possible reasons for this lack of records; a dispute he had with the Salvation Army about his admissions slip to Gill; discovering information about his childhood; discovering family names; finding his brother; his relationships with his siblings; the Apology; the ongoing effects of abuse and its impact upon relationships; his feelings about the Salvation Army; his public statements on behalf of children in care in Salvation Army Homes and the Salvation Army's response; an ensuing legal battle and his ongoing desire for redress; conclusion.
- Notes:
- Recorded on 4 July 2011 in Birkdale, Qld.
- Index/Finding Aid Note:
- Timed summary (6 p.).
- Subject:
-
- Luthy, James, 1951- -- Interviews
- Gill Memorial Home for Boys (Goulburn, N.S.W.) -- History
- Children -- Institutional care -- New South Wales -- History -- 20th century
- Children -- Institutional care -- New South Wales -- Psychological aspects
- Teachers -- Australia -- Interviews
- Cooks -- Australia -- Interviews
- Occupation:
- Cooks
- 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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