Maria Vamvakinou (Calwell, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Firstly, I would like to associate myself with the remarks that were made previously by the member for Parkes. I would like to say that the ABC's Q&A has done a great disservice to Australians of Muslim faith and an even greater disservice to the people in my electorate. I have a very large constituency in Calwell of Australians of Muslim who, quite frankly, are sick and tired of unsavoury characters speaking on their behalf, especially on national television.

I would now like to speak about something more pleasant. I was very honoured to attend a very simple but beautiful memorial service in an old pioneer cemetery in my electorate last Friday. The ecumenical service at Will Will Rook Cemetery was held in honour of approximately 400 babies and young children who died while in the care of local orphanages and other institutions between the years of 1901 and 1942.

It was arranged and hosted by Francis Trimboli and her team at the Dallas Neighbourhood House in conjunction with a local group of forgotten Australians. I have spoken in this House before about the forgotten Australians and the lifelong impact they bear from being raised in institutions of various denominations. For a range of reasons these people were removed from their families as children, made wards of the state and endure many hardships and even horrors: the loss and lack of family, nurturing, love, encouragement, educational opportunity and basic personal health and safety throughout their formative years continues to haunt the forgotten Australians well into adulthood and old age.

As I have done on other occasions, I note the incredible advocacy work done on behalf of this group of citizens, and by one of my constituents in particular, Wendy Dyckhoff, who herself is a forgotten Australian. It was in fact Wendy's initiative to hold the memorial service last week. Together with the fine people at the Broadmeadows Historical Society, she had been researching the history of local babies and children's homes. She discovered that many infants who had died while in care and who did not have known families had been buried in unmarked mass graves, probably without sanctification. She and other forgotten Australians felt it was important to finally lay their souls to rest with a proper memorial service.

Dallas Neighbourhood House continue to play an important role in supporting local forgotten Australians, and it is to their credit that they took up Wendy's suggestion and arranged the service. They also used the opportunity to prepare for the ceremony through an innovative art therapy program in partnership with La Trobe University's school of nursing. Titled 'Start Talking', the program helped a group of forgotten Australians and other clients of the neighbourhood house to use art to explore their feelings and fears, reconnect with their innate creativity and produce beautiful artefacts that were exhibited as part of the memorial occasion.