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Image courtesy of publisher's website.
y separately published work icon The Forgotten Children : Fairbridge Farm School and Its Betrayal of Australia's Child Migrants single work   autobiography  
Issue Details: First known date: 2007... 2007 The Forgotten Children : Fairbridge Farm School and Its Betrayal of Australia's Child Migrants
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'"In 1959 David Hill s mother a poor single parent living in England reluctantly decided to send her sons to Fairbridge Farm School in New South Wales where, she was led to believe, they would have a good education and a better life. David was lucky his mother was able to follow him out to Australia but for most children, the reality was shockingly different. From 1938 to 1974 thousands of parents were persuaded to sign over legal guardianship of their children to Fairbridge to solve the problem of child poverty in Britain while populating the colony. Now many of those children have decided to speak out. Physical and sexual abuse was not uncommon. Loneliness was rife. Food was often inedible. The standard of education was appalling. Here, for the first time, is the story of the lives of the Fairbridge children, from the bizarre luxury of the voyage out to Australia to the harsh reality of the first days there; from the crushing daily routine to stolen moments of freedom and the struggle that defined life after leaving the school.'

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

    • North Sydney, North Sydney - Lane Cove area, Sydney Northern Suburbs, Sydney, New South Wales,: Random House Australia , 2007 .
      image of person or book cover 6701727577723851774.jpg
      Image courtesy of publisher's website.
      Extent: xxiii, 338p., [16]p. of platesp.
      Description: illus., map, ports.
      ISBN: 9781741666847
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Related Works

y separately published work icon Reckoning : The Forgotten Children and Their Quest for Justice David Hill , Melbourne : Heinemann Australia , 2022 23952744 2022 single work autobiography

'The story of how David Hill and the other Forgotten Children took on the the institutions that tried to break them - and won.

'The Forgotten Children was David Hill's heartbreaking account of the abuse that he and other 'orphans of empire' survived at the Fairbridge Farm School in New South Wales. Part memoir, part oral history, the book became a bestseller. It was also the catalyst in a subsequent battle for justice, which resulted in the Fairbridge kids being awarded a record $24 million in compensation by the NSW Supreme Court. And that was just the start of a reckoning with institutional abuse of power that reverberates to this day.

'In Reckoning David recounts stories of the shocking systemic abuse at Fairbridge, and how he led the fight against the powerful people and organisations - including the Australian and British governments and the Royal Family -- who denied and covered up terrible crimes perpetrated on innocent children, some as young as five years old. David's fight for acknowledgement and restitution was for himself but especially for those kids, who as adults showed remarkable, enduring resilience and determination in holding to account the establishments responsible for their suffering.

'Reckoning is both a tribute to the children who were betrayed by broken system and a compelling account of an extraordinary quest for justice. It is the story of how David Hill and the other Forgotten Children took on the institutions that tried to break them - and won.'  (Publication summary)
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Works about this Work

It's a Race to the Finish as Author- Historian Maps Another Chapter in His Remarkable Life Nick Cater , 2012 single work column
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 27 - 28 October 2012; (p. 19)
Contrasting Narratives in the History of Twentieth-Century British Child Migration : An Interpretive Essay Geoffrey Sherington , 2012 single work criticism
— Appears in: History Australia , vol. 9 no. 2 2012; (p. 27-47) 'A narrative of personal loss has now supplanted an earlier narrative of rescue and Empire settlement in the history of child migration to Australia in the twentieth century. This article outlines and seeks to understand how these narratives arose. The discussion then attempts to provide another way to explain child migration which embraces changing contexts while being based on a life cycle analysis of the experiences of child migrants both prior to and in the aftermath of migration.' (Author's abstract)
Westerly Non-Fiction Review 2006-2007 Peter Pierce , 2007 single work review
— Appears in: Westerly , November vol. 52 no. 2007; (p. 160-171)
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Childhood Lost Justine Reilly , 2007 single work review
— Appears in: Brisbane News , 18 - 24 July no. 645 2007; (p. 23)
— Review of The Forgotten Children : Fairbridge Farm School and Its Betrayal of Australia's Child Migrants David Hill , 2007 single work autobiography
Abuse was Their Single Lesson Richard Guilliatt , 2007 single work column
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 28-29 April 2007; (p. 23)
Books Non-Fiction Elizabeth Allen , 2007 single work review
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 12 - 13 May 2007; (p. 24)
— Review of The Forgotten Children : Fairbridge Farm School and Its Betrayal of Australia's Child Migrants David Hill , 2007 single work autobiography
History Dianne Dempsey , 2007 single work review
— Appears in: The Age , 19 May 2007; (p. 28)
— Review of The Forgotten Children : Fairbridge Farm School and Its Betrayal of Australia's Child Migrants David Hill , 2007 single work autobiography
Clouds Darken Imperial Sunset Frank Bongiorno , 2007 single work review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 2-3 June 2007; (p. 36)
— Review of The Forgotten Children : Fairbridge Farm School and Its Betrayal of Australia's Child Migrants David Hill , 2007 single work autobiography
School for Scandal Alan Gill , 2007 single work review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 23-24 June 2007; (p. 12-13)
— Review of The Forgotten Children : Fairbridge Farm School and Its Betrayal of Australia's Child Migrants David Hill , 2007 single work autobiography
The Damage Done Keith Jackson , 2007 single work review
— Appears in: The Australian Literary Review , July vol. 2 no. 6 2007; (p. 19-20)
— Review of The Forgotten Children : Fairbridge Farm School and Its Betrayal of Australia's Child Migrants David Hill , 2007 single work autobiography
Outward Bound David Hill , 2007 single work column
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian Magazine , 12-13 May 2007; (p. 28-31)
The Hero, the Villain and the School for Scandal Damien Murphy , 2007 single work column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 28-29 April 2007; (p. 3)
Abuse was Their Single Lesson Richard Guilliatt , 2007 single work column
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 28-29 April 2007; (p. 23)
Contrasting Narratives in the History of Twentieth-Century British Child Migration : An Interpretive Essay Geoffrey Sherington , 2012 single work criticism
— Appears in: History Australia , vol. 9 no. 2 2012; (p. 27-47) 'A narrative of personal loss has now supplanted an earlier narrative of rescue and Empire settlement in the history of child migration to Australia in the twentieth century. This article outlines and seeks to understand how these narratives arose. The discussion then attempts to provide another way to explain child migration which embraces changing contexts while being based on a life cycle analysis of the experiences of child migrants both prior to and in the aftermath of migration.' (Author's abstract)
It's a Race to the Finish as Author- Historian Maps Another Chapter in His Remarkable Life Nick Cater , 2012 single work column
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 27 - 28 October 2012; (p. 19)
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Awards

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Last amended 14 Sep 2022 09:37:01
Subjects:
  • London,
    c
    England,
    c
    c
    United Kingdom (UK),
    c
    Western Europe, Europe,
  • Molong, Molong - Manildra - Cudal area, Central West NSW, New South Wales,
  • 1940s
  • 1960s
  • 1950s
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