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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'Half a million Australian children have been raised in institutional care. Staunch is the story of one boy's life as a ward of the state.
'Given up at birth and 'divorced' from his adoptive parents at ten, Andy spent his adolescence in institutions and foster homes. It's not until he meets Mez, a kind-hearted carer, that Andy finds a parent figure he can trust and a reason to hope. But can he escape the cycle of self-destruction set off by years of neglect?
'Staunch is a poignant portrayal of Andy and his friendship with Mez. It's also testament to the many thousands who survived harrowing experiences as Forgotten Australians.' (From the publisher's website.)
Notes
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Based on the life of 'Andy'.
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Epigraph:
'In some ways I feel like wasted potential, I feel that because I was full of potential as a child and if I'd had a different childhood I could have done anything and been anyone I wanted but instead I was lumbered with a childhood where I had no rights and the government 'carers' did whatever they felt like doing to me, so instead of being anything I wanted I've had to deal and cope with the horror of my childhood.'
–Sub 246, Forgotten Australians
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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Memories of Lives Found and Lost
2012
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 29-30 September 2012; (p. 25)
— Review of Staunch : Ward of the State 2012 single work novel ; Playing House 2012 single work biography ; Get Well Soon! : My (Un)Brilliant Career as a Nurse 2012 single work autobiography -
Pick of the Week
2012
single work
review
— Appears in: The Saturday Age , 25 August 2012; (p. 30) The Sydney Morning Herald , 25-26 August 2012; (p. 33)
— Review of Staunch : Ward of the State 2012 single work novel
-
Pick of the Week
2012
single work
review
— Appears in: The Saturday Age , 25 August 2012; (p. 30) The Sydney Morning Herald , 25-26 August 2012; (p. 33)
— Review of Staunch : Ward of the State 2012 single work novel -
Memories of Lives Found and Lost
2012
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 29-30 September 2012; (p. 25)
— Review of Staunch : Ward of the State 2012 single work novel ; Playing House 2012 single work biography ; Get Well Soon! : My (Un)Brilliant Career as a Nurse 2012 single work autobiography
Awards
- 2013 shortlisted Most Underrated Book Award
- Ballarat, Ballarat area, Ballarat - Bendigo area, Victoria,