Key publications in our collection
Childhood experiences
- Not named: from adoption to dedoption, 1948 – 2014 / Judy Balmforth
A personal memoir of childhood; the author’s relationship with her adopted parents; an outline of adoption practices in Tasmania (pp. 73-85); discussion of birth documents and the importance of names and naming practices, and the revising of archive records. - The scent of my mother’s kiss / Merlene Fawdry
Merlene’s journey of discover about her parentage, and her memories of adoption and orphanages, and growing up in Launceston and Sandy Bay. - Inside: life in children’s homes and institutions
Exhibition catalogue that discusses the importance of objects in care homes; contains some photographs. Also online through the National Museum Australia.
Tasmanian care home histories
- Memories of Ashley Boys Home and other ramblings / Chas J Canden
Memories of growing up at the Ashley Home for Boys in the 1930s and 1940s. It also contains photographs and short stories written by the author. - Clarendon: a century of care / Geoffrey Stephens
A history of the children’s home, particularly focused on policies, leadership and innovation. Of particular interest are the later chapters that discuss the years 1946 onwards, and includes photos of children, most identified by their first name, as well as interior photos of rooms. It also discusses day to day running.
Other readings
- Surviving care: achieving justice and healing for the forgotten Australians / Richard Hil, Elizabeth Branigan, editors
This collection of academic essays explores a large range of topics, including past experiences of care, the role that storytelling can play in healing, and accounts of having to negotiate current legal complexities. - Unloved, unwanted, but undaunted / Joy Hill
A personal memoir that discusses the struggles and hardships of being placed into care, and its lifelong implications for families. - Orphans of the living: growing up in ‘care’ in twentieth-century Australia / Joanna Penglase
A detailed and moving personal exploration of growing up in care in New South Wales. It includes background discussion of social welfare practices and policies.