''The Long Journey Home'' is an Australian TV documentary in which former child migrants relate their generally unhappy experiences as inmates of a Fairbridge school establishment at Molong, New South Wales. The script is largely based on an autobiographical book by David Hill, published in 2007. The documentary first went to air on

ABC Television ABC Television most commonly refers to: *ABC Television Network of the American Broadcasting Company, United States, or *ABC Television (Australian TV network), a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Australia ABC Television or ABC ...

in November 2009,Schembri, Jim.
Show of the Week: The Long Journey Home
. ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

'', November 17, 2009 with Hill as one of the presenters. It included his report of allegations made by three former residents that the former distinguished governor-general

Sir William Slim Field Marshal William Joseph Slim, 1st Viscount Slim, (6 August 1891 – 14 December 1970), usually known as Bill Slim, was a British military commander and the 13th Governor-General of Australia. Slim saw active service in both the First an ...

had

sexually assaulted Sexual assault is an act in which one intentionally sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their will. It is a form of sexual violence, which ...

them and other young boys during visits to the Fairbridge farms.

Historical context

The scandal of Britain's extensive deportation of children and their exploitative reception by Australian opportunistic organisations was documented and publicly raised in 1987 by British researcher

Margaret Humphreys Margaret Humphreys, (born 1944) is a British social worker and author from Nottingham, England. She worked for Nottinghamshire County Council operating around Radford, Nottingham and Hyson Green in child protection and adoption services. In 19 ...

and simultaneously in Australia by Senator Jean Jenkins. The governments of both countries were slow to recognise their responsibilities in the matter but eventually issued formal apologies. The Australian apology was issued 22 years later on 16 November 2009, the day before ''The Long Journey Home'' was shown on national television.

References

2009 television films 2009 films Documentary films about child abuse Documentary films about immigration History of immigration to Australia {{Australia-tv-prog-stub

Historical context

See also

References