Former residents of a violent, Stolen Generations-era institution in NSW are calling on the government to excavate the site after ‘suspicious’ sites of possible graves were identified.
Ground-penetrating radar technology has identified at least nine possibly secret or “clandestine” burials at the site of the Kinchela Aboriginal Boys Home near Kempsey on the NSW north coast, the Guardian reports.
A report on the survey was handed to the NSW government six months ago highlighting “high priority anomalies” on the grounds of the home as well as the possibility of further grave sites on the rest of the property.
The home was run by the Aborigines Protection Board under the NSW government from 1924 until 1970.
Up to 400 Aboriginal boys who were taken from their families were held at the home, which became renowned for the brutal punishment handed out by the managers there.
Survivors of the home say they are frustrated the government has not acted on the report and has not responded formally to requests for further exploration of the site.
Survivors told the Guardian the report confirms what they’ve been saying for years.
Image: National Museum of Australia
