Murray, Suellen et al: After the Orphanage. UNSW Press, 2009. ISBN
Over the past decade, a number of government reports, including most notably the 2004 Forgotten Australians study, have brought the experiences of Australians who experienced institutional or out of home care to public attention. This book by four Victorian academics builds on these earlier reports by documenting the specific experiences of 40 people who grew up in Catholic orphanages in Victoria and left care between 1945 and 1983.
Twenty-one were men and 19 were women, with their ages varying from 42 to 75 years. Some were in care from birth until they left at 14 years of age; others were in care for shorter periods. But all spent at least three years in care, and over half were in care for at least ten years.
In contrast to the Forgotten Australians study, which painted an overwhelmingly negative picture of out-of-home care, the experiences of this group appear to have been diverse. Some enjoyed supportive placements and moved successfully into mainstream employment, social networks and loving relationships. Others were disempowered and even traumatised by their time in care, and left with serious health and emotional deficits.
The book begins with a discussion of the first day they left care. Some experienced an abrupt departure from a large, regimented institution to a liberating but scary outside world, with little or no safety net. Others were given more planned and caring transitions, and moved into structured apprenticeships or domestic service positions.
Then we are informed of the range of reasons why they entered care in the first place. None were orphans. One contributing factor was the death or serious ill-health of the mother. Another factor was illegitimacy, given the stigma of unmarried motherhood, and the absence of financial support. A third factor was family breakdown and/or desertion. A fourth was neglect, generally associated with alcoholism, family violence and/or poverty.
Most of the children had some contact with members of their family while in care, but often contact with unmarried or allegedly 'immoral' mothers was discouraged by the nuns. Contact with other siblings in care was also often discouraged, although many strong relationships were nevertheless maintained.
The care leavers also described diverse experiences around forming and maintaining intimate relationships and a family of their own. Some experienced negative relationships marked by physical, emotional or sexual abuse. But the majority appear to have