Reckoning

From pedaphiliac viceroys to drunken matrons, David Hill introduces us to the history of abuse and desolation that was the true lot of British working-class children such as himself when they reached the supposed Promised Land Of Australia. Ruthlessly researched and clinically narrated, this is a terrible but redemptive story that will horrify yet grip readers, and that has long been pressing to be told.

Tom Keneally

David Hill tells the important story of an ultimately successful quest for justice, on behalf of children who suffered institutionalised cruelty under the guise of imperial benevolence. He has been determined to expose and then call to account the British and Australian governments and the institutions themselves for turning a blind eye to the ways in which children in their care were brutalised, buggered and bewildered, in homes that were little better than slave labour camps. This powerful book should serve as a warning to all persons responsible for the care of vulnerable people: your failures of oversight and safeguarding will one day return to haunt you.

Geoffrey Robertson

A poignant, Dickensian tale about the shipping of underprivileged children to the colonies to improve their prospects in life and relieve the mother country of a “burden and a menace”.... While the pain remains just below the surface for many of the survivors, their activism resulted in powerful institutions, including governments, being held to account. As gut-wrenching a journey as it has been for Hill, he takes heart that “hopefully we have learnt to hear, listen to, and believe, our children”.

Sydney Morning Herald

In telling the Fairbridge story, David Hill has not only drawn attention to a shameful episode in white Australian and British history but has shown that sometimes — against all odds — humanity and decency can prevail.

Australian Book Review