Kinchela Boys Home journey of truth-telling and healing

Kinchela Aboriginal Boys Training Home (KBH) was a ‘home’ run by the NSW Government for almost 50 years from 1924 – 1970 to house Aboriginal boys forcibly removed from their families; today it remains a place of deep importance for survivors, their families and communities.

Kinchela Boys Home survivors are travelling across NSW and parts of surrounding states in their Mobile Education Centre bus. The vehicle is the country’s first ever Stolen Generations travelling bus and displays educational materials and survivor testimonies.

Uncle William Nixon (KBH #24) was taken away from his mum and dad when he was a child. He now shares his story with the mission of healing and truth-telling.

“Our childhood got taken away from us, when we were put in the boys home, our culture, trying to turn us into little toy soldiers,” Uncle William said. “They said it was supposed to be a training but it was a detention centre.”

“It’s educational kind of stuff we got for this bus here, this is our healing process and telling our stories about the Stolen Generations.”

Survivors are working towards ownership of the former site of Kinchela Boys Home. Their aim is to turn it into a national site of survivor-led truth-telling and healing, through the creation of a living museum and healing centre.