National Library of Australia - Gateways

ISSN 1039-3498 | no. 60 | December 2002


Many Voices: Reflections on Experiences
of Indigenous Child Separation

Doreen Mellor and Anna Haebich, co-editors of Many Voices, found time to take a closer look at Many Voices the day after the launch

The past four years have seen the development of a substantial and diverse archive of stories about the removal of Indigenous children from their families, as the Bringing Them Home Oral History Project has unfolded at the National Library of Australia. Many areas of the Library have been involved and have supported the work of Project Manager Doreen Mellor and her team in Canberra, following a successful Pilot Project managed by Gwenda Davey. A far-flung group of interviewers extended the Project’s work Australia-wide, and as the collection of 340 interviews grew, so did the community of people involved. The most recent additions to the Bringing Them Home team have been the writers who contributed to the publication resulting from the Project. This book Many Voices: Reflections on Experiences of Indigenous Child Separation was edited by Doreen Mellor and Anna Haebich and was launched in fine style on 18 November, with over 400 guests attending. The Federal Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs, the Hon. Philip Ruddock, officially launched the publication, along with Jackie Huggins, Co-Chair of Reconciliation Australia and a member of the Project’s Steering Committee. Singers Deborah Cheetham and Trevor Deshong brought a poignant note to the large gathering. Trevor was an interviewee separated from his mother and at the launch, performed his own composition about this sad part of his life.

Doreen Mellor and Anna Haebich, co-editors of Many Voices, found time to take a closer look at Many Voices the day after the launch

 

Below: Some of the writers, interviewers, and interviewees, many from interstate, who attended the launch of Many Voices

Some of the writers, interviewers, and interviewees, many from interstate, who attended the launch of Many Voices
Jackie Huggins, Co-Chair Reconciliation Australia and member of the Bringing Them Home Oral History Project Steering Committee, addressing the audience of 300 people in the National Library theatre
Koori concert artist, Deborah Cheetham spoke of her own story of adoption and finding her birth mother, and sang two songs poignantly linked to her experience, Dvorak’s ‘Songs My Mother Taught Me’ and ‘Ebben? Ne andrò lontana’ by Catalani
Jackie Huggins, Co-Chair Reconciliation Australia and member of the Bringing Them Home Oral History Project Steering Committee, addressing the audience of 300 people in the National Library theatre
The crowded foyer of the National Library of Australia, at the launch of Many Voices: Reflections on Experiences of Indigenous Child Separation.  Around 400 people attended the launch, including a number of interviewees for the Bringing Them Home Oral History Project

Above: Koori concert artist, Deborah Cheetham spoke of her own story of adoption and finding her birth mother, and sang two songs poignantly linked to her experience, Dvorak’s ‘Songs My Mother Taught Me’ and ‘Ebben? Ne andrò lontana’ by Catalani

Left: The crowded foyer of the National Library of Australia, at the launch of Many Voices: Reflections on Experiences of Indigenous Child Separation.  Around 400 people attended the launch, including a number of interviewees for the Bringing Them Home Oral History Project

From left, Pam Gatenby, Assistant Director-General Collections Management, NLA; Doreen Mellor, co-editor and co-author, Many Voices, and Project Manager, Bringing Them Home Oral History Project; Winnie Pelz, NLA Council member and Chair of the Bringing Them Home Oral History Project Steering Committee
Queensland musician Trevor Deshong, an interviewee for the Project, who sang his own composition ‘On the Day That I Meet Her’, a song about meeting his mother
From left, Pam Gatenby, Assistant Director-General Collections Management, NLA; Doreen Mellor, co-editor and co-author, Many Voices, and Project Manager, Bringing Them Home Oral History Project; Winnie Pelz, NLA Council member and Chair of the Bringing Them Home Oral History Project Steering Committee
 

Queensland musician Trevor Deshong, an interviewee for the Project, who sang his own composition ‘On the Day That I Meet Her’, a song about meeting his mother

 Jan Fullerton, Director-General, National Library of Australia, Trevor Deshong and the Minister for Immigration, Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs, the Hon. Philip Ruddock MP


The Bringing Them Home Oral History Project is a major undertaking of the National Library. It was funded by the Australian Government as part of its response to the Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from their Families, and its 1997 Report, Bringing Them Home.

Separated children, and others directly affected by, or involved in, child removal have spoken of their experiences, contributing to a major collection comprising more than 340 digitally recorded interviews. The book Many Voices: Reflections on Experiences of Indigenous Child Separation, arising from the project, will facilitate more comprehensive access to the collection. Editors Doreen Mellor and Anna Haebich have brought together a diverse group of expert writers, whose words are interwoven with art works and poetry by Indigenous artists, many of whom are contributors to the Project. The audio CD is a compelling addition to the text.

Jan Fullerton, Director-General, National Library of Australia, Trevor Deshong and the Minister for Immigration, Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs, the Hon. Philip Ruddock MP
Doreen Mellor and Anna Haebich, co-editors of Many Voices. Both contributed chapters to the book, along with 18 other writers
Doreen Mellor and Anna Haebich, co-editors of Many Voices. Both contributed chapters to the book, along with 18 other writers

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