Journalist Amelia Oberhardt thought she knew her mum, until she was confronted by a photo she’d never seen before at her mother’s wake. Seeing this photo sparks a journey into 1950s-1970s Australia, a time when women were forced to keep secrets. Shotgun marriages, hushed abortions and forced adoptions. It’s the story of a generation of women, who now with their children, are fighting for justice today.

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Standing at her mother’s wake, journalist Amelia Oberhardt is confronted with a photo she’s never seen before - her mum Cecelia as a teenager wearing a wedding ring, accompanied by an unknown husband and cradling an unfamiliar baby.

Immediately, Amelia begins to ask questions. Who is this man? Who is this baby? And does this photo explain Ceceila’s untimely death?

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In the aftermath of seeing the photo at the wake, Amelia Oberhardt is on a search to find the man in the photo. Her pursuit leads her down a rabbit hole, into the world of 1960s and 1970s Australia, and the realities of how women were treated in this era.

And then, a new avenue provides new clues in the search for Michael.

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Amelia Oberhardt flies to Cairns to meet the man in the photo, hoping to finally get the answer to a question that has haunted her for over a decade. Who is the baby in the photo?

Knowing what happened to her mum, Amelia feels more resolve than ever to tell the stories of other women from her mother’s generation.

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Young, pregnant, unwed. What happened next is one of the most shameful periods in Australian history. Amelia Oberhardt speaks to two women who experienced a forced adoption – a broad term used to describe the various ways women were coerced into giving up their baby.

Di Sheehan and Lily Arthur explain how stigma and a flawed system altered the course of their lives.

If you would like to share your story, email secretswekeep@sca.com.au

Forced Adoption Support Service: 1800 21 03 13

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At its peak in the early 1970s, almost 200 babies per week were adopted in Australia. It’s impossible to know how many of these adoptions involved coercion, but we do know that it was a time many believed single women were incapable of looking after their children.

In this episode, Amelia Oberhardt looks at how this system was allowed to operate, and what lead to forced adoption ending.

If you would like to share your story, email secretswekeep@sca.com.au

Forced Adoption Support Service: 1800 21 03 13

Featured:

• Patricia Farrar - Mother, PhD
• Shurlee Swain - Emeritus Professor, Australian Catholic University

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It’s a decade this year since Julia Gillard’s apology to those affected by forced adoption, but there’s still unfinished business. Now, it’s the adoptees picking up the baton and carrying on the fight for recognition, redress, and justice.

Amelia speaks to two adoptees – Jennifer McRae and Danae Witherow – about how being taken from their mothers has affected their lives, and their push for an inquiry in Western Australia. Shakira Ramsdell explains what's happening in Victoria, the one state in the process of setting up a redress scheme.

Forced Adoption Support Service: 1800 21 03 13

UPDATE: A spokesperson from the WA Department of Communities responded after deadline, writing 'formal integrated birth certificates [are] currently not available' but are being considered.

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We’ve been inundated with responses and questions from you, with your stories from the forced adoption era.

Dr Susan Green is a psychologist and adopted person and speaks to Amelia Oberhardt to answer questions about the psychological impacts of forced adoption.

We’ll be back to our normal format next week.

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