Lines

Orange and Sunshine
I know you love her, of course, you do. But this will give a chance to sort you out.
I couldn』t get top on it, with everything
We』ve all been adopted as kids and we all live different experiences after that. But it’s a big bottom line, isn』t it?
I』ve been getting a lot grief at work. Things have been getting me down, really.
Been feeling a bit, a bit lonely
You know, when you always think.
Is this because of what happened when I was a kid?
Can I have a quick word?
It’s simply not legal. There’s no way a group of unaccompanied children would be shipped off just like that.
You call me a liar?
No, of course not
That’s the one thing I know. I know about who I am. Don』t you tell me that’s not true
Why don』t you come to my office some other day?
You』re not a bloody saint, you』re tired.
Yeah, I know but I should have seen it coming
I dreamed a tunnel thing and I couldn』t get out and I couldn』t find you
Just got a letter out of blue
I know I have family, I suppose
A big ship full of kids from 5 to 13
Could still all be just coincidence?
Do you think so ?
Well, if children did emigrate to Australia in any numbers, there must some records of them
I was just wondering if you had any records of any unaccompanied children
Why do you ask your own government? They』re the ones who sent them
We can start to trace her journey
Maybe get some clues why 尼克y’s brother was sent away as well
No one is suggesting for a minute that the people you represent had not suffered.
But this has to be placed in its historical context.
What was done was done with the very best intentions
These children were placed in children’s homes
Without casting any blame, their family situations were far from ideal
A more modern sensibility might suggest greater effort should have been made to keep family together
But at the time, it was genuinely believed to be in the children’s interest to give them a fresh start
Ultimately, these children were in the care of the British government
And it was the government of Australia and Britain who were responsible for the authorizing of migration schemes and if we』re talking about historical context, I』ll remind you the last migrants were only shipped out 17 years ago.
But we』re not here for recriminations, there’s no need for that.
Now the Child Migrants Trust has been created, we can offer you an opportunity to redress some of the damage for which your organizations were responsible.
These people were deported as children, young children.
They』ve been deprived of their family, their identity. They need to find the family they lost.
I know that you』re all going to help them do that.
I think my organization will be prepared to make a contribution.
Look, they just want to know who they are.