Oranges and Sunshine Page #3

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but it must've been organised.

I mean, organised

at the level of government.

These children were in care.

Local authorities were their guardians.

For so many of them

to be systematically deported,

it must have been government policy.

The Home Secretary would have to

consent to them leaving the country.

The Australian Government

must've wanted to receive them.

White Australia, I suppose.

You're talking about the organised

deportation of children in care.

I don't have any concrete proof yet

but the evidence doesn't

leave much room for doubt.

So, who's taking responsibility for

what happened to these children

once they reached Australia?

Oh, Merv.

I've got the names of

hundreds of people in my suitcase,

who all want to know who they are.

I know.

Who do I ask? Where do I start?

Are you going to look

at all that stuff now?

Jet lag.

I thought you said you were

working in the morning.

I've got to. I've been summoned.

Merv?

I'm going to have to get back to Australia.

Well, catch your breath first, eh?

We can see you now.

...and sent it to

the other department.

Shut the door, please.

To the other department?

OK. Take a seat.

Two weeks?

OK.

Well, as you know, Rita's filled me in

with what you've been up to.

I've read your report.

Look, I just want to say that

I have kept on top of my case load

and I went to Australia in my own time,

that was my annual leave.

- Well, I think that's appalling.

- What? What is?

That you had to use your

own holiday to pursue this.

Oh.

I'm taking this to the

social services committee.

Tell me. What is it you want to do?

Well, uh, the people that I've met,

they want to find

a record of who they are.

They just want to know

where they came from.

- What do you need?

- Time.

Time to find their families.

How long?

Well... a year?

How about two?

Yes, that would be...

I'll make a recommendation

to the committee.

So, are you talking about me

working on this full-time?

That is what you want, isn't it?

Yes. Yes, it is.

Now, how are we going

to fund you properly?

We're going to have raise your profile

to try and get some public funding

and we need donations.

Have you thought about

going to the press?

Merv?

It's being printed in the papers

in Sydney and Melbourne too.

- They're all the same.

- I know.

'Dear Mrs Humphreys,

I read the article in the paper.

Please could you help me

find my mother?

I was sent to Australia in 1957.

I have no birth certificate.'

I'm in trouble, aren't I?

Have I helped you understand all that, Bob?

It's a lot to take in.

They gave me the wrong name.

They'd given you the wrong name.

That's why it's taking so long

to find your birth certificate.

So, which name do I use?

Who am I?

You're the same person.

But I've got the wrong name.

You're using a different name

from the name on your birth certificate.

- Do you want to stop for a minute?

- No. No, I'm good.

So, what next?

Well, what would you like me to do next?

Thank you all very much

for your patience,

and I'll be with you as soon as I can.

- I'm very sorry to keep you waiting.

- Not a problem. I'm Dan.

Dan, please come in.

Oh, I'm Len Connelly.

I'm with Dan.

Oh, nice to meet you.

Well, I usually see people

on their own, but uh...

I'm moral support.

Right, well, Dan,

you'll be fine on your own

but if that's what you want...

- It's all right.

- It's what he wants, yeah.

Well, nice to meet you,

Mr Connelly.

- Uh... right. Shall we?

- Yeah.

So, I reckon if I do have any family,

they might be around Doncaster.

OK, right. Doncaster.

Well, from what you've told me,

I will be able to start to trace

your mother's birth certificate.

Oh, I've tried all of that. I've had

the best in the business working on it.

- Len.

- Nothing.

Can't be done.

Cost me a few bob too.

- Not that I'm short of a few bob...

- Excuse me.

I am trying to listen to Dan.

Well, I reckon you need

to see me, as well.

- Were you a child migrant too?

- I've just told you that.

Well, I'm sure that tracing your family

is very important to you.

But right now, this is Dan's time.

OK, so there are three possibilities.

We might be able to find

your mother's birth certificate,

and obviously that is what we want

and what we're hoping for.

We might find her and then discover

that she's already passed away.

We might...

we might not have any luck.

I'm really sorry. Excuse me?

What are you doing?

Could you put that down, please?

I was checking what you're up to.

I'm sorry, but if you interrupt again,

I'm going to have to ask you to leave.

When are you going to see me? I've got

documents the detectives found me.

They never found my mother.

Well, if the world's best private detectives

weren't able to trace her,

I'm not really sure what

you expect me to do.

Well, I thought you could give it a go.

I'm afraid I have a backlog

of people to see on this trip

and I won't be able to fit you in.

But if you want to send

me your documents,

then I'll see what I can do.

Right, now, Dan.

What I'm going to need from you

is any recollections that you have

firstly from your early childhood...

Well, you've certainly caused

quite a stir, Mrs Humphreys.

There's been a lot of comments

since you broke this story

in the newspapers.

Well, I didn't exactly break the story.

People are saying

what happened to some of

these children is an outrage.

Would you care to comment on that?

- Well, I'd say it was, yes.

- That's rather a strong word, though.

I met a woman recently who was

sent to Australia at five years of age

and she wanted me to tell you

that she lived with 15 other girls

in an unheated, unventilated hut

for ten years,

and during that time,

her only possessions were one dress

and one pair of shoes.

And then at age 15, she was told

that she had to repay her debt

of board and lodging

and she was sent to work

as unpaid slave labour

on a farm that was 50 miles

from the nearest road.

- So what this-

- And in all that time, she never knew

that she had a mother

still living in England

who had no idea where she was

or what had happened to her.

I'd like to know what word you would use

to describe what that mother

and daughter suffered.

Mrs Humphreys!

I've got to talk to you.

I'd like to take you to dinner.

My treat. My treat.

- I can buy my own dinner, thanks.

- Come on, what are you?

- One of those lesbian socialists?

- Shut up, Len.

He's all right.

Doesn't know what he's saying.

- She's turned crimson.

- He's all right.

Hey, Mrs Humphreys! Mrs Humphreys,

I want an appointment.

So, how long have you

been doing this work?

You know what?

I've been cleaning floors for 40 years.

First thing they did at Fairbridge

when I came off the boat,

put a mop in my hands.

'Stop your crying and clean that floor.'

How old were you?

I was eight.

I was crying too.

Didn't need to put a bucket

of water on the floor.

I was dropping enough water on it.

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