Kinchela Boys Home
Aboriginal Corporation
Unlocking our past to free our future
MEDIA RELEASE
7 September 2023
Statement in relation to Guardian Australia revelations at KBH
On Thursday September 7, The Guardian Australia broke a series of stories revealing a state government report of the Kinchela Boys’ Home site, on the mid north coast of NSW, that detailed anomalies in the ground consistent with clandestine burials.
Kinchela Boys Home Aboriginal Corporation (KBHAC) is calling for all identified anomalies to be immediately prioritised for excavation, and for further surveys to be conducted to search for additional disturbances.
“It’s gotta be published because the truth has gotta come out. For the future, it’s important to get the truth done, because a lot of stuff has been covered over by the government. For our justice and for our healing for all our brothers.” — Quote attributable to Uncle Roger Jarrett, Kinchela Boys’ Home Aboriginal Corporation board member.
A note regarding Media Enquiries:
Kinchela Boys Home Aboriginal Corporation will not be giving additional interviews at this time. Please respect the organisation’s wishes and quote from the statement provided.
Kinchela Aboriginal Boys Training Home (KBH) was a ‘home’ run by the NSW Government for almost 50 years from 1924 – 1970 to house Aboriginal boys forcibly removed from their families. It's a place of deep importance for survivors, their families and communities.
KBH was built on the stolen land of the Dunghutti. The site and its associated places hold memories, both painful and otherwise, of their childhood after being kidnapped from their families and deliberately re-programmed in order to assimilate into white Australian society.
The place itself, historical records and the memories and stories of survivors provides a powerful historical record of the destructive past Government policies and an opportunity for the education and understanding of all Australians.
Kinchela Boys Home Aboriginal Corporation (KBHAC) is a not-for-profit Aboriginal community controlled organisation which was established by survivors of Kinchela Boys Home (KBH) to help restore and reconstruct the identity, dignity and integrity of survivors, and to address the intergenerational trauma that adversely impacts on the lives of their families and descendants.
KBHAC is survivor-led - its organisation, governance and practice is built on and informed by the guidance and unique insights of survivors, contributing to the social and emotional wellbeing of survivors, communities and cultures. The KBH survivors and KBHAC own their stories and healing, leading from a place of self-determination.
Our vision is to improve the social, emotional, cultural and spiritual wellbeing of the KBH survivors and their families in a meaningful way.
