Jennifer McRae
Jennifer McRae was born in 1972 at King Edward Memorial Hospital (KEMH), Subiaco, Perth at the peak of the Forced Adoption Era (FAE). Immediately after her birth, Jennifer was removed from her mother via the established forced adoption practice known as 'the clean break' and transferred to a nursery within the hospital intentionally hidden away from her mother. Traumatised by the separation from her mother, Jennifer's neonatal records show that she experienced sustained weight loss, was transferred to a special care nursery for naso-gastric feeding. Once her weight stabilised, she was then transferred to Ngala, a FAE institution, mother and baby home located in Kensington, where she would await collection by adoptive parents selected by Matron Grant.[1]
Jennifer grew up on a beef and sheep farm at Napier, a rural area north of Albany, Western Australia, with a younger sister. She graduated from Curtin University in 1994, with a Bachelor of Science-Nursing.[2]
In 2021, Jennifer commenced a campaign, lobbying the WA Labor government to instigate a parliamentary inquiry into the state's policies and practices of the FAE.[3] Minister for the Department of Communities, Simone McGurk, had refused to endorse the inquiry, but later changed her position in December 2022 after hearing the testimony of late discovery adoptee (LDA) Danae Witherow.[4]
In February 2023, after 2 years of advocacy, the McGowan Labor government finally agreed to hold an inquiry, revealing his maternal grandmother had experienced forced adoption in the 1930s.[5]
After 18 months, the report was tabled in the Legislative Council of the Western Australian Parliament.[6]
The WA government replied to the report 2 months later, stating they did not support all the recommendations developed by the Environment and Public Affairs Committee.[7]
In 2021, Jennifer and fellow adoptee Anne H. lobbied the executive leadership at KEMH to formally apologise for their role in facilitating thousands of forced adoptions and to commit to building a memorial.[3]
Jennifer led the campaign calling for the renaming of Albany's Beryl Grant Community Centre, who was the Matron of the former mother and baby home at Ngala between 1959-1980 and was responsible for facilitating an unknown number of forced adoptions.[8][9]
On December 20th, 2024, Jennifer launched her political campaign as an Independent for the Legislative Council (Upper House) of Western Australia.[10]
On Australia Day 2025, Jennifer received Albany Citizen of the Year Award for her forced adoption advocacy[11]
References
- ↑ https://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/Parliament/commit.nsf/luInquiryPublicSubmissions/6D7CA4A0E70FF02848258A03004BE184/$file/P00110NoCover_Redacted.pdf
- ↑ "From child of forced adoption to campaigner". ABC listen. August 22, 2023.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "'My whole identity was taken from me': Calls for WA inquiry into forced adoptions". July 13, 2022 – via www.abc.net.au.
- ↑ "Danae felt like the ground swallowed her when she learnt she was adopted. She wants to spare others that pain". February 21, 2023 – via www.abc.net.au.
- ↑ "McGowan government commits to forced adoption inquiry as premier reveals personal link". February 21, 2023 – via www.abc.net.au.
- ↑ "Recompense in the works for survivors of forced adoption". The Albany Advertiser. August 26, 2024.
- ↑ Bunch, Aaron (October 22, 2024). "Heartbreak at WA's response to forced adoption inquiry". www.canberratimes.com.au.
- ↑ "Calls grow to rename building honouring matron who played key role in forced adoptions in WA". October 15, 2024 – via www.abc.net.au.
- ↑ "Forced adoption survivors ask for namesake change for centre". The Albany Advertiser. October 14, 2024.
- ↑ "Jennifer McRae Community Independent Candidate".
- ↑ "News Story - Forced adoption advocate awarded Albany's Citizen of the Year » City of Albany". www.albany.wa.gov.au.
This article "Jennifer McRae" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Jennifer McRae. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
