Kinchela is a village in the

Mid North Coast The Mid North Coast is a country region in the north-east of the state of New South Wales, Australia. The region covers the mid northern coast of the state, beginning from Port Stephens north of Sydney, and extending as far north as Woolgoolg ...

region of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Australia, on land traditionally owned by the

Dungutti The Djangadi people, also spelt Dhungatti, Dainggati, Tunggutti or Dunghutti are an Aboriginal Australian people resident in the Macleay Valley of northern New South Wales. Language Dhanggati / Dunghutti belongs to the Yuin–Kuric language ...

people. It is best known as the location of the infamous Kinchela Boys Home. The village is named after Kinchela Creek, which in turn may have been named after John Kinchela, Attorney General of New South Wales who arrived at Sydney in 1831. The Kinchela

Aboriginal Reserve An Aboriginal reserve, also called simply reserve, was a government-sanctioned settlement for Aboriginal Australians, created under various state and federal legislation. Along with missions and other institutions, they were used from the 19th c ...

was gazetted in 1883, Kinchela was gazetted as a village in 1885 or 1886, and in 1892 an Aboriginal school was established at Pelican Island, near Kinchela.

Kinchela Boys Home

Kinchela Boys Home was established by the

Aboriginal Protection Board Aboriginal Protection Board, also known as Aborigines Protection Board, Board for the Protection of Aborigines, Aborigines Welfare Board (and in later sources, incorrectly as Aboriginal Welfare Board), and similar names, refers to a number of hi ...

in 1924 and absorbed the Aboriginal school. The home was intended for Aboriginal children who were removed from their families as part of the process of 'assimilating' them into white Australian society. The victims of this process eventually became known as the

Stolen Generation The Stolen Generations (also known as Stolen Children) were the children of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent who were removed from their families by the Australian federal and state government agencies and church miss ...

. Kinchela Boys Home housed between 400 and 600 boys between 1924 and its closure in 1970.Kinchela Boys Home gate: National Museum of Australia collection highlight
/ref>

Bringing Them Home ''Bringing Them Home'' is the 1997 Australian ''Report of the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from Their Families''. The report marked a pivotal moment in the controversy that has come to ...

, the report of the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from their Families, documents the brutal punishment and sexual abuse suffered by these boys. In 1980, Kinchela Boys Home was converted into a drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre ('Bennelong’s Haven') for the local Aboriginal community, a number of whom were former Kinchela boys. In 2012, Kinchela Boys Home was given the highest level of heritage protection available in New South Wales. One of a pair of gates that originally formed the front gates of Kinchela Boys Home is now in the collection of the

National Museum of Australia The National Museum of Australia, in the national capital Canberra, preserves and interprets Australia's social history, exploring the key issues, people and events that have shaped the nation. It was formally established by the ''National Muse ...

. A group of men, who had all been Kinchela boys, officially handed the gate over to the museum at a small ceremony in Kempsey in 2012. As part of the museum's collection, the gate will represent the stories of the Kinchela boys' experiences.

Kinchela Boys Home Aboriginal Corporation

Kinchela Boys Home Aboriginal Corporation (KBHAC) was established in 2001 after some former Kinchela Boys Home inmates asked

World Vision Australia World Vision Australia (WVA) is an ecumenical Christian non-governmental organisation based in Melbourne, Australia. It is a part of the ''World Vision International Partnership'' led by World Vision International. WVA is Australia's largest ov ...

to assist them in reuniting boys who had spent time at the Kinchela home and help them develop an organisation for the all former inmates and their families. KBHAC seeks '... to reconnect members of the Stolen Generations to their families, clans and communities. It works to restore and reconstruct cultural identity, pride and self-worth.Kinchela Boys Home Aboriginal Corporation: About Us
/ref> In 2001, the Kinchela Boys Home Aboriginal Corporation Strategic Plan was launched at Redfern Community Centre by the Governor of New South Wales, Professor

Marie Bashir Dame Marie Roslyn Bashir (born 1 December 1930) is the former and second longest-serving Governor of New South Wales. Born in Narrandera, New South Wales, Bashir graduated from the University of Sydney in 1956 and held various medical positio ...

.Kinchela Boys Home Aboriginal Corporation: Timeline
/ref> This Strategic Plan for members of the

identified positive solutions for Aboriginal families and communities suffering from the trauma of forced removal.Kinchela Boys Home
/ref>

Heritage listings

Kinchela has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: * 2054 South West Rocks Road:

Kinchela Aboriginal Boys' Training Home Kinchela Aboriginal Boys' Training Home is a heritage-listed former Aboriginal Boys' Training Home at 2054 South West Rocks Road, Kinchela, Kempsey Shire, New South Wales, Australia. It was built from 1924 to 1970. It is also known as Kinchela ...

References

External links

''Kinchela Reunion'': ABC Radio National Breakfast, 30 August 2002

Vince Wenberg interviewed by Frank Heimans: ''Bringing them home'' oral history project, National Library of Australia
{{coord, 30, 59, 37, S, 152, 59, 30, E, display=title, scale:20000 Mid North Coast Coastal towns in New South Wales Kempsey Shire

Kinchela Boys Home

Kinchela Boys Home Aboriginal Corporation

Heritage listings

References

Further reading

External links