Between 1910 and 1970, the Australian police services were forcibly removing Aborigine children. It was allowed by the government. They said they were doing it for the children’s “protection”.
After being kidnapped, those kids were forbidden to speak their language and needed to change their identity. I’ve interviewed Florence Onus, part of the Stolen Generation and member of the Healing Foundation.
Drawing of Florence Onus, made by me on Procreate.
Florence was the 4th generation of her family to have been taken away.
Her great-grandparents and her grandparents were forcibly removed from their lands. Florence’s two older sisters were taken by the police in front of their mother. Herself and two other siblings too.
They were sent to a foster home where they lived with a foster family until their adolescent years.
This event brought an intergenerational trauma, so she joined the Healing Foundation. Seeing all the consequences (alcoholism, suicide) she promised herself that her children will never be removed from her.
Florence thinks that Australians don’t know their history, so they need to learn their culture through education.Now, Florence provides healing advice to other Australian indigenous. She is herself on a 25 years healing journey (smoking, and art therapies) and she is a mother and a grandmother.