New exhibition in Canberra
‘Inside: life in children’s homes and institutions’, an exhibition at the National Museum of Australia, will open on 16 November 2011 (the second anniversary of the Australian Parliament Apology to Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants.) This exhibition, which will travel around Australia after its season in Canberra, features stories, images, poetry, artwork, memories, sound and video, contributed by Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants. As the Museum puts it, “Inside provides a chance for all Australians to understand something of a history that affected so many of us and was hidden for so long”.
The National Museum has put together a program of public events to accompany the exhibition, including musical performances, film screenings and a forum featuring Dr Joanna Penglase, followed by a panel discussion of life since the Apology.
The exhibition is one element of a package of initiatives funded by the Federal Government to acknowledge and remember the experiences of children who experienced institutional ‘care’ in Australia. Other projects include the National Library of Australia’s Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants Oral History Project, and this website you’re visiting right now!
The Find & Connect web resources went live on 15 November 2011 – a website bringing together historical resources relating to institutional ‘care’ has been produced for every state and territory in Australia, as well as a national Find & Connect Australia website. These web resources have been designed to help Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants understand more about their past and the historical context of child welfare. Go to the About page for more information about the project, or start at the national Home page and have a look around the web resources and see what you can find.
We will be working to develop and enrich the content of the Find & Connect web resources until the end of 2014. What you see is very much a ‘work in progress’, so please keep checking in here at Find & Connect News to see what’s new as the web resource grows. If you would like to offer feedback, make a suggestion or ask a question, you can email the web team.