You’re standing in front of a plaque, a simple but powerful monument in Orleigh Park. It’s a place that carries a heavy weight of the past, a reminder of a dark chapter in Australia’s history. The plaque at Cranbrook Place commemorates the Aboriginal Girls Home that once stood here. This house, built in 1885, became a home for young Aboriginal girls taken from their families under the cruel and unjust Aboriginals Protection and Restriction of the Sale of Opium Act of 1897. It was a place of forced separation, where young girls were trained as domestic servants and faced exploitation and abuse. This dark story of Cranbrook Place lasted until 1906, and though the house itself is gone, the memory of its victims remains. Yet, amidst the sadness, there’s also a flicker of hope. As Uncle Sam Watson, Chairman of Link-Up (QLD), said, “Those girls must have felt very isolated. They must have felt absolutely powerless when they were down here by themselves.” But, through the pain and suffering, these young women also found strength, resilience, and a burning desire to break free. Some escaped the home and were never captured. They went on to build families, carrying within them the powerful spirit of their ancestors. The plaque at Cranbrook Place serves as a symbol of their defiance and a reminder of the importance of recognizing and understanding the history of the Stolen Generations. It’s a place of remembrance, reflection, and reconciliation.
Центральный дом работников искусств
Step through the grand wooden doors of the Central House of the Workers of Art, and you’ll be transported to