7am The men who survived Kinchela Boys Home
Dec 13, 2025
Ben Abbatangelo, a Gunaikurnai and Wotjobaluk writer and contributor to The Saturday Paper, delves deep into the dark legacy of Kinchela Boys Home. He reveals harrowing survivor testimonies, detailing the abuse and dehumanization these boys faced. The conversation highlights the alarming rates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in care today, echoing past traumas. Abbatangelo also discusses ongoing efforts to reclaim the site for healing, shedding light on the struggles many survivors continue to face.
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Dragged From Home At 11
- Roger Jarrett remembers being taken at 11 after a sergeant forced his mother to sign papers promising the children would return within 12 months.
- He was dragged to a car, injured hitting the window, and arrived at Kinchela the same day where his life changed forever.
Last Sighting Of A Sister
- Richard Campbell was wrestled from a car and separated from his three sisters, screaming as he was driven away from Kinchela.
- That moment became his most enduring memory and the last time he saw a sister for about 20 years.
Identity Erasure And Systemic Abuse
- Boys at Kinchela were stripped of identity, renamed by number, and treated as less than human by staff.
- Survivors describe systemic humiliation, beatings, sexual assault, starvation and enforced labour as daily realities.