Community focused 'ngalambay' space created for Survivors and their descendants to access Stolen Generations records
The NSW Government has opened a new space to support NSW Stolen Generations Survivors and their families access government-held historic records about Aboriginal people.
The Ngalambay Room at Aboriginal Affairs NSW’s Sydney office on Kameygal Country is a first-of-its-kind space, and was developed in consultation with Survivors, with a focus on creating a safe, welcoming space, deeply grounded in culture with a connection to Country.
The space will facilitate reflection and truth telling for families who came into contact with the Aborigines Protection and Welfare Boards in the late 1800s and much of the 1900s. Aboriginal Affairs NSW staff will provide context and support for Survivors and their families as they access the historic records.
Stolen Generations Survivors selected ‘Ngalambay’, a Dhawaral word meaning ‘ripples in the water from a rock or stone’, as the name for the space.
Traditional Projects, an Aboriginal owned construction project management company based in NSW undertook the development, which included soundproofing for privacy, lighting upgrades and the installation of artworks by First Nations artists including Krystal Hurst (Worimi).
The space includes a library and information panels which display testimony of the experiences of Stolen Generations Survivors.
Aboriginal Affairs NSW is the custodian of extensive historical records which the NSW Government kept about Aboriginal people and Communities.
Between 1882 and 1969, the former Aborigines Protection Board and the Aborigines Welfare Board had significant control over the lives of Aboriginal people in NSW.
The Aboriginal Affairs NSW Family Records Service provides Survivors and their descendants with opportunities to access historical records, many of which reflect racism from the time they were created.
Community can find out more information about the Family Records Service on the Aboriginal Affairs NSW website.
Lisa Madden (Gomeroi), Executive Director of Truth and Healing, Aboriginal Affairs NSW said:
“For many Survivors and their descendants, reading historical records for the first time is a deeply moving experience.
The Ngalambay Cultural Room is a quiet sanctuary for Community which respects the healing journey for Survivors and honours the many Aboriginal children who never made it home.”
Uncle Michael Flores (Biripi), Survivor of the Bomaderry Aboriginal Children’s Home said:
“The [Ngalambay] ripples are like the journey we the Survivors are all on together and how the ripples keep on going.”
Dr Kirsten Thorpe, Chair of the NSW Aboriginal Archives and Records Leadership Group said:
"The Tandanya-Adelaide Declaration commits the international archival community to reimagining access in ways that recognise First Nations peoples' rights over their records.
The work of Aboriginal Affairs NSW shows what that commitment looks like in practice. It's an exemplar of Aboriginal-led access in a dedicated space for records, truth-telling and healing.”