88-year-old stolen generation member finally receives birth certificate

ABC NEWS (Australia)

An 88-year-old woman from WA's goldfields has been issued a birth certificate. Maisie Harkin who was a member of the stolen generations - lacked the documentation to receive one. But with help she was issued the certificate at an emotional ceremony in Perth.

Transcript

00:00For some, a birth certificate might just be a piece of paper, but for Maisie Harkin it's

00:08so much more.

00:11The 88 year old Nanadatta woman has finally been issued with a birth certificate after

00:15a previous rejection.

00:17It's a common story for many members of the stolen generation.

00:22We do get quite a few of these applications per year and Maisie's was particularly challenging

00:29as well.

00:31Maisie Harkin was born on country in 1937 in the Great Victoria Desert.

00:37She was separated from her family at the age of two and grew up in a Mount Margaret mission

00:42near Laverton in WA's gold fields.

00:45One of the only official records of her existence was from an anthropologist visit to the mission.

00:50I didn't want to look at those records for years and in the end I thought now I've got

00:56to be brave enough to look at it and to deal with it.

01:00When she went to apply for a passport in 2007 for an overseas trip, she got knocked back.

01:06But with help from Aboriginal History WA, the registry finally found a document hidden in

01:11the mission's records.

01:12The key piece of information was a record that listed Maisie's date of birth, her mum and

01:18dad and her place of birth.

01:20Just the key bits that we need really.

01:22For her family, it's a step towards recognising their history.

01:26Sadly, it also reflects a time of our country's history where sadly Aboriginal people, we did

01:33not exist.

01:34Setting the record straight on a life started on country.

01:38Do not accept the record completely.

01:42Certainly, the key bits of work might be, but underneath the record pensa a little bit and

01:50pop into a world.

01:51We can rely on a church of abroad and a couple of the other titles.

01:55I would encourage you to join their team members for a very young age and a couple of

01:59years.

02:00That's why we should be in the table.

02:00OK.

02:01It's another big pun that I've got a family member.

02:02What I've got?

02:03Could be a family member?

02:04I hope that you should be in the table.

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