Australia's formal apology 'may not make much difference'

Australia is expected to apologise to the 500,000-odd children who suffered abuse in institutions but one of the "forgotten Australians" wonders whether it will make much difference to the victims.

"While the apology is appreciated, many have already moved on and it will be interesting to see whether or not it will make much difference to those who have not," said David Plowman, who arrived in the port city of Fremantle in 1953, when he was just 11.

He was one of more than 300 Maltese migrants, mostly boys, who had been sent to Australia in the 1950s and 1960s in the hope that they would get an education and lead better lives. The scheme had been endorsed by both the Maltese government and the Church and the children's parents and guardians gave their consent.

However, eventually it turned out that some of the children had worked like slaves, did not receive an education and some were even physically and sexually abused.

Contacted by The Times, Prof. Plowman, now a professor of industrial relations at the University of Western Australia, said the experience of child migrants, and of other children who were institutionalised, differed significantly.

"Some had little difficulty adjusting or getting on with life. Others found it a traumatic experience. Therefore, depending on one's experience, the apology will be of significance or of little importance," Prof. Plowman said.

The apology will be made by Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on November 16 and is expected to be a highly emotional moment for those who are still trying to come to terms with the psychological wounds of childhood abuse and neglect.

Australian media said the apology would be endorsed by Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull. Australian Community Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin said the apology would acknowledge the abuse and neglect suffered by many of these children.

It was initially announced last August by Ms Macklin after two reports, published in 2001 and 2004, had advised the government to make an apology.

Two years ago, during a visit by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi to Australia, Prof. Plowman, whose mother is Maltese and who now chairs the Child Migrants of Malta Group, spoke about the difficulty and trauma that some of the children faced in Australia.

He said the youngsters, who had travelled without their parents, were dislocated from their families and became institutionalised. Many, himself included, lived in homes run by Christian brothers and there have been documented instances of children subjected to physical punishment and in rare cases even sexual abuse.

Although he said that child migration was good, because many children had gone on to lead a better life, the psychological scarring should not be underestimated.

"Some scars are so deep that people cannot hold down jobs or maintain relationships. This has meant that they have turned to drugs and developed mental problems... This monument acknowledges their plight and is a statement that we will not repeat the mistakes of our history," he had said during Dr Gonzi's visit to Fremantle's Child Migrant monument.

In an interview with The Times in 2005, Joseph Azzopardi, one of the child migrants, spoke about the physical, emotional and attempted sexual abuse at the hands of the Christian Brothers.

He recounted how he used to be tied to the stairs with the water tap just out of reach to be ridiculed and had never been given letters by his mother and those he wrote to her were never sent. He said he had also seen a young boy being lifted from the ground by his ears. Mr Azzopardi said he had broken a chair on one of the brothers when they tried to sexually abuse him. "As a result, I nearly got killed with the beating I got. I was 14 at the time," he said.

Last year, a memorial to the 310 Maltese child migrants, in the shape of a child's paper boat, was unveiled at Valletta Waterfront.