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Reckoning: The Forgotten Children and Their Quest for Justice
The Forgotten Children was David Hill's heartbreaking account of the abuse that he and other 'orphans of empire' survived at the Fairbridge Farm School in New South Wales. Part memoir, part oral history, the book became a best seller. It was also the catalyst in a subsequent battle for justice, which resulted in the Fairbridge kids being awarded a record $24 million in compensation by the NSW Supreme Court. And that was just the start of a reckoning with institutional abuse of power that reverberates to this day.
In Reckoning, David recounts stories of the shocking systemic abuse at Fairbridge and how he led the fight against the powerful people and organisations - including the Australian and British governments and the royal family - who denied and covered up terrible crimes perpetrated on innocent children, some as young as five years old. David's fight for acknowledgement and restitution was for himself but especially for those kids, who as adults showed remarkable, enduring resilience and determination in holding to account the establishments responsible for their suffering.
Reckoning is both a tribute to the children who were betrayed by broken system and a compelling account of an extraordinary quest for justice. It is the story of how David Hill and the other Forgotten Children took on the institutions that tried to break them - and won.
In Reckoning, David recounts stories of the shocking systemic abuse at Fairbridge and how he led the fight against the powerful people and organisations - including the Australian and British governments and the royal family - who denied and covered up terrible crimes perpetrated on innocent children, some as young as five years old. David's fight for acknowledgement and restitution was for himself but especially for those kids, who as adults showed remarkable, enduring resilience and determination in holding to account the establishments responsible for their suffering.
Reckoning is both a tribute to the children who were betrayed by broken system and a compelling account of an extraordinary quest for justice. It is the story of how David Hill and the other Forgotten Children took on the institutions that tried to break them - and won.
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Published March 16, 2022
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About the author
David Hill
8 books19 followersDuring his remarkable career, David Hill has been chairman then managing director of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation; chairman of the Australian Football Association; chief executive and director of the State Rail Authority; chairman of Sydney Water Corporation; a fellow of the Sydney University Senate; and chairman of CREATE (an organisation representing Australian children in institutional care).
He has held a number of other executive appointments and committee chair positions in the areas of sport, transport, international radio broadcasting, international news providers, politics, fiscal management and city parks.
David came from England to Australia in 1959 under the Fairbridge Farm School Child Migrant scheme. He left school at 15, then returned to complete his Master's degree in economics while working as an economics tutor at Sydney University.
He has held a number of other executive appointments and committee chair positions in the areas of sport, transport, international radio broadcasting, international news providers, politics, fiscal management and city parks.
David came from England to Australia in 1959 under the Fairbridge Farm School Child Migrant scheme. He left school at 15, then returned to complete his Master's degree in economics while working as an economics tutor at Sydney University.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 14, 2022
THE RECKONING by David Hill
David Hill achieved fame by being in charge of football in Australia, State Rail in N.S.W. and the ABC, but there was a dark past, and since those appointments he’s moved onto two things, archaeology and getting justice for those who suffered similar circumstances to him.
I always remember being told by the Trade Commissioner, when I was in the employ of the Canadian Government Consulate, “You can’t fight City Hall”. Fortunately, David Hill ignored such a thing and has been relentless in his pursuit of bureaucracies in denial that such things as rape, bestiality and brutality could go on at such places as Catholic orphanages, Barnardo Homes and the Fairbridge Schools where David was sent to. Yet they did, despite being reported on more than one occasion.
How could this happen? You may well ask. Requested reports on the horrible conditions were done, reported and then buried in the archives of not only the institutions, but N.S.W., Australian and British governments as well. Why?
Attitudes is why. Imagine your charity is supported by members of royalty, the church and the upper class in England and it falls into disrepute. Best to ignore it, a not uncommon practice of the day, and presume it will go away. Yet the written evidence from investigations was damning.
Relentlessly pursued by David and others, slowly the murky past has been unearthed. Molong, a town out in the west of N.S.W. where David was sent, gets a tad chilly in winter. Imagine, if you will, children walking around in bare feet over frost! In fact, the only time they did wear shoes was if they were bussed to the nearby high school or maybe church.
That was after they’d received many forms of beatings from sadistic supervisors. The children had to run the farm, which meant getting up before dawn to milk cows and such. Yes, still with no shoes!
In decades of time it finally ends up in courts, which is where this book goes, only to be stalled in Great Britain by insensitive lawyers for five years over minor procedural matters. Should not lawyers such as these be held to account also? They make hundreds of thousands of dollars while the oppressed can rot in hell as far as they’re concerned. Meanwhile, over 60 of the complainants have died.
At times I had to reach for the tissue box while digesting some of the accounts. Couldn’t help but feel so much sympathy for people whose lives had been destroyed because certain people in high places wouldn’t want to be told and others wouldn’t believe it anyway.
It’s a volume of bureaucracy at work and how key information is buried and ignored because it’s all in the too hard basket.
A compelling and timely reminder that we must always be vigilant.
David Hill achieved fame by being in charge of football in Australia, State Rail in N.S.W. and the ABC, but there was a dark past, and since those appointments he’s moved onto two things, archaeology and getting justice for those who suffered similar circumstances to him.
I always remember being told by the Trade Commissioner, when I was in the employ of the Canadian Government Consulate, “You can’t fight City Hall”. Fortunately, David Hill ignored such a thing and has been relentless in his pursuit of bureaucracies in denial that such things as rape, bestiality and brutality could go on at such places as Catholic orphanages, Barnardo Homes and the Fairbridge Schools where David was sent to. Yet they did, despite being reported on more than one occasion.
How could this happen? You may well ask. Requested reports on the horrible conditions were done, reported and then buried in the archives of not only the institutions, but N.S.W., Australian and British governments as well. Why?
Attitudes is why. Imagine your charity is supported by members of royalty, the church and the upper class in England and it falls into disrepute. Best to ignore it, a not uncommon practice of the day, and presume it will go away. Yet the written evidence from investigations was damning.
Relentlessly pursued by David and others, slowly the murky past has been unearthed. Molong, a town out in the west of N.S.W. where David was sent, gets a tad chilly in winter. Imagine, if you will, children walking around in bare feet over frost! In fact, the only time they did wear shoes was if they were bussed to the nearby high school or maybe church.
That was after they’d received many forms of beatings from sadistic supervisors. The children had to run the farm, which meant getting up before dawn to milk cows and such. Yes, still with no shoes!
In decades of time it finally ends up in courts, which is where this book goes, only to be stalled in Great Britain by insensitive lawyers for five years over minor procedural matters. Should not lawyers such as these be held to account also? They make hundreds of thousands of dollars while the oppressed can rot in hell as far as they’re concerned. Meanwhile, over 60 of the complainants have died.
At times I had to reach for the tissue box while digesting some of the accounts. Couldn’t help but feel so much sympathy for people whose lives had been destroyed because certain people in high places wouldn’t want to be told and others wouldn’t believe it anyway.
It’s a volume of bureaucracy at work and how key information is buried and ignored because it’s all in the too hard basket.
A compelling and timely reminder that we must always be vigilant.
July 8, 2023
A truly heartbreaking story and to think this happened in our own backyard all those years ago. Was at times a bit repetitive but well worth the read.
June 14, 2023
Harrowing with so much more detail than The Forgotten Children David’s first expose of the dirty coverups and grievous abuse of innocent Pre and post war British children… that governing bodies in Britain and Australia have blocked every move to identify the guilty tormentors and abusers defies belief.
The damning social, educational, marital and work statistics are appalling that the authorities knew such things in their own locked away reports but the substandard child slavery continued unchanged until very recently. Heartbreaking.
Unbelievable that only recently has the truth been acknowledged, apologies made, compensation paid BUT SO LATE FOR SO MANY WHO DIDN’T SURVIVE
Thank goodness for David Hill’s indomitable perseverance to give voice to those thousands denied love and tragically were separated from struggling parents who were utterly deceived with outrageous lies and false promises… modern convicts.
Top of Derryn Hinch’s Shame File in my estimation.
The damning social, educational, marital and work statistics are appalling that the authorities knew such things in their own locked away reports but the substandard child slavery continued unchanged until very recently. Heartbreaking.
Unbelievable that only recently has the truth been acknowledged, apologies made, compensation paid BUT SO LATE FOR SO MANY WHO DIDN’T SURVIVE
Thank goodness for David Hill’s indomitable perseverance to give voice to those thousands denied love and tragically were separated from struggling parents who were utterly deceived with outrageous lies and false promises… modern convicts.
Top of Derryn Hinch’s Shame File in my estimation.
October 1, 2025
An excellent follow-up to "The Forgotten Children". The hidden abuse and official denials are
exposed in this book and the resulting court case indefinitely delayed. Finally some form of restitution and how hard fought it was to achieve. How institutions can stand over the individual, both corporate and Government .
A harrowing story that is of "our time".
exposed in this book and the resulting court case indefinitely delayed. Finally some form of restitution and how hard fought it was to achieve. How institutions can stand over the individual, both corporate and Government .
A harrowing story that is of "our time".
July 28, 2022
It’s so horrific hearing what these kids lived through all because other people thought they knew what would be better for them. So called guardians were just sadistic heartless mongrels. I struggled to read it and I will admit I skipped over some of it just because I couldn’t handle it.
I wasn’t aware of the first book before reading this, but I won’t be reading it, this was enough.
I wasn’t aware of the first book before reading this, but I won’t be reading it, this was enough.
August 16, 2022
Repetitive and long winded
November 25, 2022
This is a well-written account of the terrible treatment of children migrants to Australia from UK, under the Fairbridge scheme.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews