Publisher's Synopsis
From the deck, I watched England grow smaller and smaller until the last vestige of land became a mist-shrouded speck then disappeared. Only seagulls followed, swooping and diving along the ships wake. A long white river was carrying me away from my world. My mind shut down, collapsing inwards. Little registered with me, except the pain in the pit of my stomach, which wouldnt go away. "The Bush Orphanage" is an inspiring story of courage and survival, set in two parts: PART I is the story of John Hawkins who, at the tender age of seven, was sent away as part of the British Child Migration Scheme to populate a new faraway land called Australia. He was among thousands of young boys and girls plucked from orphanages and adoption homes in Britain and forced to make the same sacrifice. From the English seaside to the Australian outback, the rest of Johns childhood was spent at Tardun Boys Orphanage, the largest and most isolated school on earth. Later in life, the memories of his loving mother and adoptive family in England inspired him to find out exactly why hed been stolen from them and from his homeland. PART II is an overview of the British Child Migration Scheme and includes controversial new research revealing how criminal neglect and endemic corruption flowed from the top to the bottom in the frenzy to get children to fill Australian orphanages. It uncovers how government policy prevented British mothers from regaining custody of their children and examines the facts regarding the complicity of British and Australian government authorities who shirked their legal and moral responsibility for the lives of the children. It also tells the story of the churches and secular organisations that took part in the tragedy. This is the true story of how child migration became the greatest childcare disaster in Australian history.
