Videos & DVDs

The National Orphanage Museum is featured on an episode of ABC Collectors

Excerpt from Steve Irons MP maiden speech:

"In a similar vein, at the tender age of six months I was removed from my family, placed in a babies’ home and made a ward of the state in Victoria until I reached the age of 18. Nearly 50 years on, it is remarkable to reflect on just how far we have progressed as a nation in our short but proud history and that I can stand here amongst Australia’s leaders as an equal. It has set in concrete my belief that we are the land of a fair go, where we are not afraid to back the underdog with that sense of hope that he or she may achieve something special. I know that not all people who have been through an experience similar to mine and those of the Fred Harpers of this world during their childhood will go on to stand in federal parliament, but these experiences in life should not stop anyone from achieving their goals in a nation such as ours. I hope that our stories can inspire young children going through the same experience now that they can still achieve great things with their lives and that there are plenty of good people out there willing to back them."

Stories on DVD:
Parramatta Girls Home on 30 May 2003
Hay Girls Gaol (4 girl's stories) 2004
Jan McGuire Interview in Nov 2003
No other details available - please contact CLAN direct for more information. Thank you.

Denzel Washington makes his triumphant directorial debut and Derek Luke shines in his first big-screen role in this gripping story of survival and triumph.

Inspired by the true life experiences of its title character, Antwone Fisher tells the compelling story of a troubled sailor (Luke) who is ordered to see a naval psychiatrist (Washington) about his volatile temper. Little does he know that his first step into the doctor's office will lead him on a remarkable emotional journey to confront his painful past and connect with the family he never knew.

In the spirit of BILLY ELLIOT and CHARIOTS OF FIRE comes the compelling and inspirational true story of Tony Fingleton, a young man from a troubled family who found the inner strength to become a champion.

Acclaimed director Russell Mulcahy brings Fingleton's popular novel to the screen, while a talented cast headed by GEOFFREY RUSH, JUDY DAVIS, JESSE SPENCER and TIM DRAXL brings its characters to life. Hailed by critics for its "emotionally powerful" story amd "powerhouse performances", Swimming Upstream ia a first-class movie experience that you must not miss.

Synopsis: From the back cover: It is highly likely that every Australian either was, is related to, works with or knows someone who experienced childhood in an institution or out of home care environment. - Forgotten Australians, report of the Senate Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care, 2004

In Australia, around half a million children grew up in 'care' during the twentieth century. Most often, they grew up with daily brutal physical and emotional abuse in the sterile environment of an institution. We effectively treated our most vulnerable children as criminals, when their only ‘crime’ was the deprivation of one of the most fundamental of human needs - the love and care of their parents.

With great tenderness, compassion and intellect, Penglase, herself placed in 'care' when only eight months old, begins to unravel the seemingly inexplicable - how and why could this have happened? She looks not only at the profound personal costs to these children, but the huge social and economic costs of these past policies - costs we will bear as a community for many years to come.

The funny and heartbreaking story of Winnie Sprockett who, from the age of 6, was institutionalised for being marginally retarded. Thirty years later she befriends a fellow patient and persuades him to run away with her. Their humerous fling at living it up in the real world soon ends, but that glimpse of freedom strengthens Winne's dream of leaving for good. She works to master her limitations by writing a book to prove that she's not retarded. Overcoming some heartbreaking and frustrating experiences she finally gets her chance.

Director: Nell Butler. VCA School of Film and Television 2000.
18.48 mins.

From the back cover: "... [her story] begins to take its shape when Brenda was raped. She was four. It was the first chapter of a history of sexual abuse - her mother sold her to men - that continued throughout her young life. Along the way she escaped from state institutions to roam the country, often in trouble and always in flight, until, working as an outback roadhouse cook, she met Peter, the man she was later to shoot dead."

No details available, please contact CLAN direct for further information. Thank you.

Sex in a Cold Climate is what Peter Mullen based the Magdalen Sisters film on.

HALCYON FILMS P/L & RED BAG PRODUCTIONS P/L

In 1997, after The News of the World in the UK exposed the abuse in Scottish orphanages by Catholic nuns, a class action quickly escalated. Cath Yeomans, at 84 years, is the oldest claimant and now lives in Australia. As the class action gained momentum, Cath is haunted by memories of her past and wants to go back to Scotland, but ill health prevents her from travelling. Filmmaker, Geraldine Gandolfo, meets Cath and decides to go back as her go-between and document her story.

Synopsis: Cath's personal history is interwoven with other survivors’ stories who as children were subjected to brutal treatment in the orphanages of the Sisters of Nazareth and the Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul. As well as the unfolding developments of the class action. One nun, Sr. Mary Docherty, found guilty on several abuse charges, leaves the court in the public spotlight. The film raises serious questions about the abuse of human rights within the Catholic Church and the society that condoned this abuse through its ignorance. After documenting these stories in Scotland, Geraldine returns to Australia, and for Cath, some of the pain she feels about the past is resolved.

Unholy Orders is a documentary made with a survivor’s insight as Geraldine is also a survivor of abuse by a Catholic priest. A unique solidarity occurs between her and the other survivors as they find their voices individually and collectively in the face of a powerful institution.

Good luck to Geraldine Gandolfo and Catherine Dyson

Please visit http://www.unholyorders.com.au where you can buy a copy of the video or DVD

4 different stories about the Parramatta Girls' Home

Wesley Dalmar Child and Family Services is pleased to be able to make this film available for viewing to past residents of Dalmar and their families. Out of concern for the privacy of those featured, we ask that it not be shown to a wider audience.

The Central Methodist Mission began caring for needy children in Sydney in 1893.

A purpose-built children's home, Dalmar was opened in Carlingford in 1923. In the years that followed many poor families turned to Dalmar seeking care for their children. In 1950, a group of child migrants arrived in Sydney by boat from England. 15 of these children joined the family at Dalmar. This film, made in 1950, is a record of their early days at Dalmar.