Bill Simon's story

The story of Bill Simon is an example of an aboriginal boy who was forcibly removed from his family.

Bill was ten years old when it happened, it was the winter of 1957. He and his brothers were preparing for school, when three men knocked on the door. They were taken by these men, even though their mother screamed. Bill saw his mom crying on the road as they drove away. 

"My mother ran out onto the road, fell on her knees and belted her fists into the bitumen as she screamed. "

He was taken to Kinchela where he stayed until he was 17 years old. He suffered from severe abuse which left him unable to obtain healthy relationships and he quickly fell into drug and alcohol abuse. 

When he reached the 30's he met his mother again, but she had re-married and had other children, she rejected him. 

Even though the government thought they were helping, the children often ended up as victims to an abusive family.