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Victorian Board of Protection of Aborigines is founded.
The Protection Board legally allowed the forcible removal of children from their families. This also meant that the Government had the right to send children to reformatories, industrial schools or dormitories in housing stations. After Victoria introduced the Protection Board, other states applied similar legislations, some more vicious than others.
Included is a photograph of the 'Aboriginal Protection Act 1869 (Vic)' offical primary source document. -
Western Australia Aboriginal Act is applied.
This law meant that every Aboriginal and 'half-caste' child under the age of 16 had the Chief Protector as their legal guardian, obligating them to be removed from their family and put into specific schools and forced into work. -
South Australian Aboriginal Act Rules
The South Australian Aboriginal Act enabled the law that any child under the age of 21, whether they be an Aboriginal Australian or half-caste, the Chief Protector is also made legal guardian. Additionally, the 'Northern Territory Aboriginals Ordinance' is introduced. -
NSW Aborigines Protection Board
Under this law, they are given the power to remove any child from their family without a court hearing. Below is a Primary Source of a personal story from the 'Bring them home report'; "Four generations of my family went without parently (sic) love, without mother or father. I myself found it very hard to show any love to my children because I wasn't given that, so was my mother and grandmother." -
Australian Aboriginal Conference
This meeting was held in Sydney by Aboriginals on the 26th of January 1938 which they demanded that this day be a sign of respect for all Indigenous Australian, known as the 'Day of Mourning.' Jack Pattern was head of the meeting and protested his purpose of the gathering and what they wanted as a result of the meeting. Prior to this event, there were leaflets handed out to warn people that only "Aborigines and persons of Aboriginal blood only are invited to attend." -
'Going Home Conference'
This event consisted of 600 Aboriginal people who wore stolen from their families as children from all territories and states to come together and share their experiences and feelings about the Stolen Generation. This allowed them to retell their stories and experiences and how the policy affected their lives. -
The National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from Their Families.
The introduction of this event allowed researchers to find out the effects of the policy on the children of the Stolen Generation and the underlying effects of separation itself. -
Bringing Them Home Report
This was issued by the Australian Human Rights commission in order to report on the tragic experience the Aboriginals went through during the Stolen Generations. All parliaments of each state formally apologised to the Stolen Generation. -
Kevin Rudd Apology
On this day, Kevin Rudd formally and apologetically said sorry to all those who were affected by the Stolen Generation in some way. He specifically highlighted the treatment they were placed under, the suffering, the mistreatment and the ongoing grief they still hold.
