Foreword

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As a Senator in the Australian Parliament, I chaired Senate committee inquiries into Forced Adoptions, Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants. Through these inquiries and the subsequent national apologies, Australia learnt about these appalling practices that have significant, life-long impacts on the mothers, fathers, children and families involved, as well as the intergenerational family impacts of the trauma on their own sons, daughters, partners and families.

We heard heart-rending accounts of the ongoing search for answers, for connections and family, of the terrible impact of not knowing ones family roots, the sense of not knowing who you are, where you fit or why you have been subjected to these life-changing decisions.

Witnesses outlined their sense of government control over their lives, together with the effect on their mental health and well-being by being denied access to family history and their identity.

Here in this book, Kerri sets out the reality in her own words. Kerri shares her experiences, taking the reader on her life’s journey of learning about her family history, the deep connections she makes along the way, sharing with us the highs and lows of this journey.

Be prepared to shed tears of both sadness and joy and to be caught up in storyline worthy of a mystery novel, as you read about Kerri’s detective work to uncover and explore family secrets across state and country borders, accesses secret government files and connects the dots of her hidden history.