At four, her head was shaved and her clothes burned. Aunty Lorraine doesn’t want her trauma to be forgotten
Aunty Lorraine Peeters, now 88, recalls her traumatic experience as a child taken from her family to the Cootamundra Aboriginal Girls Home. She is advocating for better support for Stolen Generations survivors as they age. The Healing Foundation has released a plan urging governments to provide comprehensive assistance to those affected by this historical injustice.
- ▪Aunty Lorraine was forcibly taken from her parents at the age of four and spent six years at the Cootamundra Aboriginal Girls Home.
- ▪She experienced severe trauma, including having her head shaved and being trained to assimilate into white culture.
- ▪The Healing Foundation's new plan calls for increased support for aging survivors of the Stolen Generations.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Aunty Lorraine Peeters in 2022. Peeters was just four years old when she was forcibly taken from her parents at Brewarrina mission and removed to Cootamundra Aboriginal Girls Home in 1942. Photograph: Sarah Collard/The GuardianView image in fullscreenAunty Lorraine Peeters in 2022. Peeters was just four years old when she was forcibly taken from her parents at Brewarrina mission and removed to Cootamundra Aboriginal Girls Home in 1942. Photograph: Sarah Collard/The GuardianStolen GenerationsAt four, her head was shaved and her clothes burned.
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