My Aunty, Auntie Lou by Charli Jones

My Aunty, Auntie Lou

Charli Jones | Year 10

In this piece, Aunty Lou tells me about her story as a child. She was a part of the Stolen Generation. Her story is about how she met her sister – my grandmother (Nana Robyn) – for the first time. When Nana Robyn found out that she had a sister she was amazed. Nana Robyn desperately wanted to meet her, so she did some research and found out where she lived. When Nana Robyn explained to Aunty Lou how they were related and that they were sisters, Aunty Lou was in denial. She didn’t believe her and wanted nothing to do with her. After a while, Aunty Lou allowed herself to meet up with my Nana Robyn and they yarned. Unfortunately, Nana Robyn has now passed away; however, before her passing they started to reach out to each other more often and grew close. This is the story of Lucille Doyle Currie as told to Charli Jones.

When I first met your Nana Robyn it was 1987. Graham was around 7 or 8 years old. Pop’s friend Ron Hinds (deceased) met during football and began to play together. After a few interactions with one another, Pop was invited to a barbeque with Noel (Aunty Lou’s husband). His sister was married to Ron Hinds. One day Alison, who is Noel’s sister, was talking about how me and your Nana’s father were Delaney’s. She found it odd that we both had the same surname. Alison knew a lot of different Aboriginal families around and she said well my brother is married to Lucille Doyle/Curri and her Dad is Steven Delaney. That conversation was unreal. Alison rang me and said Lucille you need to come over I got some news for you; she didn’t tell me what it was for a start and I didn’t realise how important it’ll be until she explained it to me afterwards because I was quite stubborn. I had the surprise of my lifetime. She said it’s your sister Robyn, Lucille. Obviously, I said WHAT?!

My memory was quite vague but all I knew was that it blew my mind. All I felt were so many emotions. All I’d wished for had come true. A sibling. My family. Nana Robyn was around her early 30s when we finally met. I couldn’t believe I was meeting my sister on my dad’s side. ‘Lou, I want you to come visits me for a barbeque. I want you to see our family. You can come any time at my place’ was what she said to me. Overwhelmed I said hold on, I just met you and only just found out that I had a sister after growing up without any recollection of even having one. I was shy. I was just trying to process everything because it had such a huge impact on me. It was mind blowing. It touches my soul whenever I review that memory. Your Nana Robyn said something to me that I will never forget. She said: ‘I won’t give up on you. I won’t give up. When you are ready you can come over to my place to meet everyone.’ That key phrase enabled me to trust her. I will never forget that. ‘When you’re ready Lou you are welcome to come and have a barbeque at my place to meet family.’ Her kindness and understanding of my need to take it slow struck my heart like no other. I’ll never be able to meet someone like her ever again. It’s such a big journey. Trying to recover and learn about everything that’s happened within our family. But your Nana Robyn never gave up on me. That was one of the most important things in my life. I will never forget that. Although we didn’t know each other properly, she always made me feel like I was her sister. Robyn was the first sibling I knew. The first sibling I was able to get close to. The first person I confided in. Then Aunty Betty and Uncle Morris came along. Robyn always had this special trait that lured everyone in. She had a strong spirit. I never knew my family, I used to always look for them. I would cry when I was a kid, because I just wanted to meet my mum and dad, my brothers and sisters, and you couldn’t do anything about it. You just had to cope.

A few years before our encounter during Ron Hinds and Alison’s wedding, your Nana Robyn said that she saw me during the service. We didn’t know each other then. She looked over and said to me years later when we grew closer that ‘I saw you at the wedding remember? I immediately thought that you looked like Aunty Gwen.’ Shocked I said, ‘oh, don’t!’ and that was the truth.

Your Pop was at the wedding too with your Nana. Noel and Alison are brother and sister, and Pop and Nana were friends which was why the connection was so big. It was unreal to see my sister. I cried the day I found out. So many emotions surged within me, it was indescribable. All those years of yearning to have some sort of family came true. That was why it was a huge deal for me.

Both my mum and dad’s sides of the family are big. They are both Aboriginal, so I had both big tribes, but never really got to know my family until after I left the home. (Homes are the institutions that operate as orphanages for young Indigenous and non-Indigenous kids). I’ve been in the home for 18 years of my life. Once I’d finally left the homes, I went to Bindara lodges and stayed there at the hostels. Many young Indigenous and non-Indigenous kids who were 18 stayed there at South Brisbane Mater Hills with me. We lived in a hostel for girls. I was in

the hostel until around 21 because you were under the age limit back in the mid70s. At least we had a place and a roof over our heads. I don’t think I’ve ever had a home. When we all left the homes, we had nowhere else to go.

I was one of the lucky children. If it wasn’t for my Aunt Nancy that I had in my life. Some kids weren’t blessed with the angel I had. It was just sad. She looked after me. Acted as a friend, a mother figure, a role model. Each story is different, and each pain is different. Each institution around Australia is different; some were horrible. They were so bad. The missions were terrible. Missions were bigger and much more restricted. They were still government controlled.

Till this day your Nana was well before her time because some people don’t realise what gifts they held in their hands. She was able to read people effortlessly and just knew what they felt. I’ll forever thank her for that. Between your Pop and your Nana, it would’ve been another 10 years before I met all of you guys. My mother lived at the Wacol Barracks for Indigenous peoples and that’s where the Arthur Gorrie Correction Centre is now. They had barracks there for Aboriginal people to live there. They didn’t want them living in the city; they had a 6 o’clock curfew. So, they placed people in different areas away from everyone. Lots of Aboriginal families lived out there; my mother and my grandmother on my mum’s side lived in the barracks. The hardest thing to find out further Murri way. See, I was the only black kid in the Aspley homes. I was shocked when three little black kids showed up at the home and started living with us because I was the only child of colour back then. They took me under their wing and became the closest thing to my family. Steven, Leanne and Wayne. Their mother would come and visit them in the homes at lunch time. I would sit with them all and their mother asked me my name. That day she went back to her home and told my Nana Currie that I was living there. The Murri grapevine was unreal so my Nana Currie and my Aunty Lisa from my mother’s side came over to see me. I was astonished. I had family nearby. She only visited me once. She tried to get me out, but she couldn’t.

But your Nana Robyn told me to take it slow. Whenever you’re ready you can come over. I heard this so many times so eventually I was like ‘ok, ok I think I’m ready now’. I have a beautiful photo of us finally meeting family. It’s with me always. It has my dad, Uncle Morris and Nana Robyn, Aunty Betty, Mum Shirley and my kids are in it too. Our dad passed away the year after I met him. It’s a bit sad because I didn’t get to know a lot about him, but you know at least I met him and that was one good thing.

There was so many emotions, so much mixed thoughts. It was too much sometimes which was why I stood back for a little while. It just freaked me out. When you’re a kid you don’t realise how much your mother and father make a difference in your lives you know? I’m so thankful I was able to meet you all. To meet you, Charli, your Nana Robyn, Aunty Betty, Uncle Morris, and the Delaney family on my dad’s side. It takes so much out of you when you’re young and now I’m just like, I have too many families. Every time you met an uncle or an aunty or a cousin it’s kind of just knocked me back a few times. It’s a big step up from having nobody to having plenty people who love and care about you. Oh, my goodness there is just so many.

But you know Aboriginal families are still fighting today, for the treaty of our people and for the treaty of this land. The combination between non-Indigenous and Indigenous fellas had a long time to get to where we are today, but there is still a lot of discrimination out there. It can be very subtle too, sometimes, but it’s still there. I’m just glad I met my family. It is the most powerful feeling in the world. And I hope one day many people can hear our stories and be willing to listen.

I chose to interview Aunty Lou because, despite everything she has endured and suffered throughout her childhood, she never let her optimism, kindness, and love fade. Her caring and gentle heart made her stronger. She never failed to put a smile on my face and always made us kids laugh whenever we saw her and for that I’ll forever be grateful. My fondest memories are made during our visits and I couldn’t imagine it being any other way. I’ve learnt a lot from her amazing stories she has told us over the years, but I personally think her tale may be the most heartfelt but important one yet.