Becoming an elder in the community I was stolen from as a baby

成为社区的长者 我在婴儿时期就被偷走了

The Outlook Podcast Archive

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2022-03-03

31 分钟
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Dianne O'Brien was born in the 1940s and grew up in an Irish-Australian family near Sydney. But when she was just 14, her world was torn apart: her beloved mother died, her father abandoned her and she discovered she was adopted. She was sent to a notorious children's home, where she gave birth to her first child, the result of a sexual assault.  Years later, she went in search of her birth family and discovered she was Indigenous, part of the Stolen Generation and a descendant of celebrated Indigenous Australian politicians. Dianne eventually went on to become a leader in her own right in the community she was taken from so many decades before.      Dianne has written a book about her life, Daughter of the River Country.    A warning that this episode contains descriptions of physical and sexual violence.  Presenter: Emily Webb Producer: Zoe Gelber Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com (Photo: Dianne O'Brien with her mother, aged two. Credit: Courtesy of Dianne O'Brien)
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  • Emily.

  • It's Emily Webb here, bringing you this edition of Outlook.

  • Today's extraordinary story comes from Australia and a woman who discovered she was part of a stolen generation.

  • Diane O'Brien has had a tough life.

  • She survived physical and sexual abuse and neglect, but hers is a story about endurance and finding purpose in life.

  • Diane was born in 1947 and grew up in an Irish Australian family in the Sydney suburbs.

  • At home were Diane's father, brother and mu, who Diane adored.

  • To me, she looked like an angel.

  • She was very pretty.

  • She was well dressed.

  • She looked like a movie star, actually.

  • And pictures I have of her when she was younger, even out in the backyard, she had suits on, you know, like a floral top and a floral bottom.

  • Matching.

  • And yeah, she dressed really nice.

  • And it sounds like your mum was the sort of person who really liked helping others.

  • She was always helping somebody out.

  • Yes, yes.

  • Anybody in the street that was poor, she used to give her money.

  • Another fellow come to her house once and she went in and gave him one of Dad's shirts.

  • And I said, you're going to get into trouble.