The Collard Family,

The story of a family affected by the stolen Generation

The Collard family is story that is neither one side nor the other on the topic of stolen generation.

In a community in Condinnin, there were many Aboriginal families, instead of all the children in that area being taken away only the Collard families children were taken away. The family thought the reason their children were taken away was because they were the “whitest” out of the area and the fact that they didn’t go to an accepted church. The parents of the Collard children were charged with drunkenness and neglect of their children. The parents were enraged and said that these charges were un-true.

One of the children said that their parents did drink and neglect them. When the Collards were found the children were under weight and malnourished. She feels it was the right thing to be taken away from her parents.

The Collards made it back home, except for Ellen who became to attached to her white family.

Ellen is happy that they were taken away to live with white families.

“ I got things perhaps I wouldn’t have received if I was brought up by my biological parents, and I wasn’t abused like my sisters back at home. But I miss not knowing my parents, brothers and sisters while I was growing up, I feel sad when they talk about being growing up together and I can’t join in”