Part 1. Historical context. 1. Marginalised voices: the quest for a recognised history -- Part 2. The survivors. 2. The Panther: Jean/Erin ; 3. One of the most persistent bitches: Judy ; 4. Wasted days and wasted nights: Rose ; 5. Don't shoot the wounded: Tammy -- Part 3. The witnesses. 6. Brewing truth: the Priest ; 7. The penny dropped: the Psychiatrist ; 8. I had no way of processing what was going on: the Nurse -- Part 4. Next steps. 9. Conclusion: What followed and what may yet proceed.

Goodna Girls tells the story of children incarcerated in Wolston Park Hospital, an adult psychiatric facility in Queensland, Australia. It contains the personal testimonies of women who relate--in their own no-holds-barred style and often with irreverent humour--how they, as children, ended up in Wolston Park and how this affected their adult lives. The accounts of hospital staff who witnessed the effects of this heinous policy and spoke out are also included. The book examines the consequences of the Queensland Government's manipulation of a medical model to respond to 'juvenile delinquents', many of whom were simply vulnerable children absconding from abusive conditions. As Australia faces the repercussions of the institutionalisation of its children in the twentieth century, brought about through a series of government inquiries, Goodna Girls makes a vital contribution to the public history of the Stolen Generations, Former Child Migrants and Forgotten Australians. Goodna Girls presents the research that informed a successful, collective campaign to lobby the Queensland Government to make long overdue and much-needed reparations to a group of courageous survivors. It holds contemporary resonance for scholars, policymakers and practitioners in the fields of public history, welfare, child protection, education, nursing, sociology, medicine and criminology.

Includes bibliographical references.

Unless stated otherwise, the author retains copyright to their work while ANU Press retains exclusive worldwide rights for the distribution of the book. From 2018, the majority of ANU Press titles are published under a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-NC-ND; creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which broadens the ways in which works can be used and distributed. Please refer to the copyright page of each book for more information on a specific title's copyright licensing.

National edeposit: Available online Unrestricted online access. star AU-CaNED

OCLC control number change