AustLit

Nancy de Vries was a member of the Stolen Generations and was active in community affairs. She was taken from her mother at about 14 months old and was not reunited with her until the age of 55.

De Vries lived in twenty-two foster placements and Homes before the age of 18. She was labelled uncontrollable and finally placed in Parramatta Girls' Reformatory which was a very traumatic experience. In 1977, de Vries was invited to address the New South Wales State Parliament on behalf of the Stolen Generations.

Despite being told that as an Aboriginal woman she would only be employed as ward maid, de Vries enrolled in a nursing degree and graduated in 1988 at the age of 56. On Australia Day in 2003, de Vries was honoured by the Liverpool City Council for her community leadership. She was also a member of the council's Aboriginal Consultative Committee. De Vries found her mother by coincidence but was only able to spend 10 hours with her before she died.

De Vries survived cancer and was diagnosed with incurable aortic aneurism. She died at the age of 74.