The CARMICHAEL, DARBY, DUTTON, EDWARDS, MULLETT, PEPPER, SCOTT, THORPE and O'ROURKE families represent Helen's Koorie ancestry and are but a small number of the Koorie genealogies that we have compiled of Victorian Koorie families.

Helen is a second generation member of the stolen generation, taken from her mother Nellie Darby as a baby, and knew very little about her ancestry. Helen was hidden from her family and the Koorie community by the State Welfare system. By the time Helen was fifteen years old, all her ancestors, her mother, uncles and aunts, had died. At nineteen years of age, Helen finally began to make contact with her Koorie community.

Helen and her family don't have a good photograph of their mother. If anybody does possess a photo of Nellie, the family would be very appreciative of copy of it. My contact details are at the bottom of this page.

" .... all the children of the Stolen Generation suffered the fate of orphans who, deprived of family by natural castastrophe or human failure, are institutionalised. Two factors made the lot of Aborigines much grimmer: they were not orphans but captives, and they were totally 'removed' from their own cultural traditions - language, beliefs, ways of seeing and doing - and then actively encouraged to despise and to feel shame rather than pride in their roots. Having successfully been made to beleive that black was white, they were then thrust defenceless into the 'real' white world where their assimilation proved to be an illusion and they were despised for being black. Hence they found no acceptance and felt completely disoriented. ..... But the knowledge of where they did belong had been stolen too. They seemed to have been denied their place in the universe." [Norst, M J : Burnum Burnum, East Roseville, NSW : Simom & Schuster (Australia) P/L 1999, pages 22 - 23]

The following is a copy of a letter, one of several, written by Frederick CARMICHAEL , Helen's great grandfather, in his efforts to regain custody of his grand children, Mary, Sarah and Nellie DARBY.

Lake Tyres,
Aboriginal Station,
Aug. 14th, 1930.

I'm a full - blooded Aboriginal by birth decent from Royal Blood. I used to write letters to Queen Victoria in my young days. Your most Excellency, I beg to ask of his Excellency a great favour - would his Excellency kindly grant me permission to get my three grand - children who were snatched suddenly from me by an Ordering Council under escort of Nurse Singleton from Lake Tyres Aboriginal Reserve, transferred to the State Public Home, Melbourne. Three girls ages ranging from 13 years, 5¼ years, baby 2½ years(?) Mary Darby, Sarah Darby and Nelly Darby. The three girls were my only comfort when their mother Lizzie Darby, my daughter, expired nine months (ago ?) at the Bairnsdalegate Hospital. When we came down to the town Captain Newman made a covenant with me in the presence of Patrol Walter M' Cready, that I could have the three grand - daughters till such time I'd be married, On the eve of my marriage to Mrs. Edwards who looked after and never neglected the children, they were snatched away by an Ordering Council. I wish to bring under your Excellency's consideration the matter. I was decoyed to marry for the sake of the three grand - daughters, to keep them, and for them to be snatched away by an Ordering Council. God is no respector of persons. We are in His sight equal to all His subjects. Before the white people came to Australia God gave us children to bring and train up for His service in our own disposition. Our disposition is instilled in our children and I don't consider it fair the white people should deprive us of our children to bring them up in their disposition. It can never be done.

The importance of the above letter, dated 14th August 1930, is that Frederick Carmichael could see that the removal of Aboriginal children from their families and communities was not going to remove their Aboriginality. The Commonwealth and State Government officials must have also been fully aware that the stealing of children from their parents and communities would not remove the person's Aboriginality.

It is an interesting to note the comments on the Children's Welfare Department, Receiving Depot, Royal Park, assessment report, on the condition of the three children on their arrival at the Receiving Depot, Royal Park, which states that the health and cleanliness was very good and that the condition of their clothing was good and very clean. The question then must be asked, why were these children take from the care of their grand father?

The only explanation given in the Order in Council, dated 18th June 1930, is that under the Aborigines Act 1928, Section 6, Regulation 12, ..."that the following children be transferred to the care of the Children's Welfare Department being half caste orphans...". The children whilst losing their parents, were being ably cared for by relatives, this being their grand father.

The girls were placed in the Salvation Army Girls' Home, East Kew, and on the 22nd August 1930, less than two months after the three girls had arrived there, we have the Matron writing to the Secretary of the Aborigines Board, complaining "... that they are not suitable for this Home and are "too dark". (They certainly are dark children). I am afraid the children are not happy in their surroundings, and all my efforts to find a good foster mother, prepared to like them, have been unsuccessful." Surely, given this, the children, by all rights, should have been left with their loving and caring grand father, Frederick Carmichael.

Frederick Carmichael and the family were not advised of Sarah Anne Ellen Elsie DARBY's illness and her subsequent death (17 Jul 1932) until after her funeral (19 Jul 1932). As a consequence they were not able to attend her funeral, which upset Freddie terribly, as is demonstrated in a letter to Mr Parker, Aborigines Protection Board, dated 25 July 1932, by the Lake Tyers Aboriginal Mission Station Manager, Ronald Glen, who reports "Matters have not yet resumed their pristine, peaceful, placid position down here yet. Fred Carmichael ....is now breathing fire, and threatening God alone knows what because you let Sarah Darby die without letting him know. He was continually wanting me to ring you for permission to go to town to see her, which of course I did not do, with the result that he now accuses you of murdering the child, wants the other two [Mary & Nellie] delivered to him immediately and is writing to the King. There is to be an armed truce until your visit, but I thought it wise to warn you so that your guns would be loaded ready".

Nellie DARBY is currently in an unmarked grave, at Springvale Crematorium, along with her son, Robert James DARBY (also a member of the Stolen Generations) and our son, Clinton Gregory Darby BALDWIN, and despite constant requests to Aboriginal Affairs Victoria to provide a plaque, hence providing Nellie with some dignity in death, they will not come to the party, despite medical evidence that such a plaque would provide the family with a 'healing place'. Aboriginal Affairs Victoria were responsible for Nellie's life and took guardianship upon themselves. Parenthood is a life long committment and I believe that Aboriginal AffairsVictoria must acknowledge that there exist statutory and fiduciary duties, and a duty of care towards the Darby family and morally that they have an obligation to provide Nellie with dignity in death, through the provision of a commemorative plaque that will act as a healing plaque for her descendants.