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After the Apology

The forcible removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families throughout the 1900s is arguably one of the worst atrocities of the 20th century in Australia.
These children have become known as The Stolen Generations.

In February 2008 the former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd formally apologised for the past mistreatment of Australia's First Peoples and for past Governments' wrong doings and the '...profound grief, suffering and loss...' that was caused by the forcible removal of these children.

This body of photographic work explores the historical consequences of past Governments' actions and the more recent effect of the Australian Government's 2008 formal apology.

This series focuses on women from The Stolen Generations, as arguably Indigenous women throughout the past have been marginalised in Australian society and have had to struggle even harder than men to have their voice heard within the Australian cultural context. It is important not to underestimate the on-going effects of what has happened in the past and how this resonates in the present and affects future generations.

This series, which is an-depth exploration into the themes of grief, loss and healing, pairs together memory landscapes with portraits and quotes to create a body of work which gives a post-apology voice to women who are survivors of past governments’ policies.

 

AFTER THE APOLOGY: Jasmine Haby-Atkinson

In this image: Jasmine, South Coast of New South Wales, Australia "History has a way of repeating itself… Now I'm afraid that the same thing could happen to my own child."  

AFTER THE APOLOGY: Jasmine Haby-Atkinson
AFTER THE APOLOGY: Susan Moylan-Coombes

In this image: Susan Moylan-Coombs, Northern Beaches, New South Wales, Australia Susan Moylan-Coombs was born in Darwin and taken from her mother at birth. She was removed from the Northern Territory and later adopted out to a family in Sydney. Susan didn't see her mother again until 21 years later. “Every day I walk a path of recovery from the policy that removed children from their parents. I was stolen... I still feel the silent pain that is mine and my mothers. We need to move forward together with joint aspirations and a truly national story that acknowledges our shared past and embraces a shared future.'  

AFTER THE APOLOGY: Susan Moylan-Coombes
AFTER THE APOLOGY: Jennifer Louise Moylan

In this image: Jennifer Louise Moylan, 14 years old ''My mum is a member of the Stolen Generations. I remember her being in Canberra for the TV coverage of The Apology. I didn’t understand why people at school started to say horrible things about me and mum. It was confusing for me that people were so nasty. I cried when she got home.''  

AFTER THE APOLOGY: Jennifer Louise Moylan
AFTER THE APOLOGY: Caroline Glass-Pattison

  In this image:  Caroline, Freshwater beach, Sydney, Australia  "My Mother, Grandmother and older sister were Stolen Generations, I miss their presence and their whispers of knowledge gently steering me on the right wave. These gaps in my life still stay with me, cloaked in the grief, moving like the moving tide."  

AFTER THE APOLOGY: Caroline Glass-Pattison
AFTER THE APOLOGY: Eliza Pross

In this image: Eliza Pross, Sydney, Australia "I continue to walk two worlds. I dream of a day that we, as First Peoples, only need to walk one. This will only happen when this country fully recognises its traumatic history and the impact on First Peoples AND is willing to take real action. The Apology presented the first of these opportunities. "  

AFTER THE APOLOGY: Eliza Pross
AFTER THE APOLOGY: Kim Hill

In this image: Kim Hill, La Perouse, near the mission where Kim grew up. Sydney "When I think about what happened it gives me such a heavy heart...It makes me feel so disenfranchised, so worthless.  I don't feel angry, I just feel disappointed in humanity."  

AFTER THE APOLOGY: Kim Hill

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