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Parramatta Native Institution commemoration by Rosemary Normal-Hill 16 January 2015
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8 January 2015 marks the 200 year anniversary of the Parramatta Native Institution, the first residential school set up by Governor Macquarie in 1815 to ‘educate, civilise, and Christianise’ Aboriginal children so they could be assimilated into colonial society. Situated on the corner of Macquarie and Marsden Street Parramatta, it was a dormitory styled school where Aboriginal children were educated in English ways without the influence of their families and clan groups. In the General Orders written by Governor Macquarie on 14 December 1814 the following outlined the intention to separate: ‘That no Child, after having been admitted into the Institution, shall be permitted to leave it, or be taken away by any Person whatever (whether Parents or other Relatives) until such Time as the Boys shall have attained the Age of Sixteen Years, and the Girls Fourteen Years; at which Ages they shall be respectively discharged’. Macquarie’s view was clearly stated in these Orders as to ‘effect the Civilization of the Ab-origines of New South Wales, and to render their Habits more domesticated and industrious’. This is an important historical
event for the Darug people and for all Australia’s Indigenous people, as it is the first official record of the removal of Aboriginal children from their family and community in order to integrate them into the European way of life. CEO of Kirrawe Indigenous Corporation Ms Rosemary NormanHill (pictured), a descendent of Kitty, one of the first four children placed in the Institution, said this event must not go unnoticed, “This is Australian history, this isn’t just Aboriginal history,” Ms NormanHill said. “We need to raise awareness to the wider community – both Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples – about who these children were, what happened and why as this has
largely been forgotten. It is clear from the General Orders that the intention was for these children to lose their language, their culture, their heritage and their Aboriginal way of life. This is still happening today, as we have the highest rate of child removal in the country, “Recent studies show the rate of Indigenous children being removed from their families is 10.6 times the rate of non-Indigenous children nationally and higher in every jurisdiction. History and research shows that removing our children from their families is not in their best interest,” she said. There were 37 children recorded as being students of the Institution when it closed in 1823, and the Darug Advisory Committee agreed that these children’s experiences must be acknowledged and their memory honoured. Ms Norman-Hill, a Doctor of Indigenous Philosophies student at Southern Cross University is currently researching the resilience of these children and how they managed to survive in both worlds. This research will also look at the effects on future generations and Ms Norman-Hill would like to speak with descendants who may be interested in being part of this research project.
Above: Parramatta Native Institution and right, map of the Institution. Images supplied
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