351 Ryrie Street Geelong, Victoria Australia
The Australian Orphanage Museum received three deeply personal items from Care Leaver Debbie Bell (née Smith): a brush, a school case, and her schoolwork in a folder.
Ordinary as they may seem, these objects carry powerful memories of her childhood in foster care. This photo is of Debbie in her school uniform
Debbie was born in Adelaide in 1961. When she was two years old, her mother placed her in state care, believing she would be adopted. But because her parents were married, her father’s consent was also needed. At the time, he was a “guest of the Adelaide Goal” and refused to sign the papers. Debbie recalls: “Instead of being adopted, I was left in the foster system. My file even stated that ‘no one would come for me.’ The first foster family I was placed with should never have been approved.”
One of Debbie’s earliest possessions was a small floor brush and pan, given to her as a gift. She reflects:
“That brush became a symbol of those years in foster care. Warnings of abuse and neglect were swept under the carpet, ignored by the people who should have protected me. Later, I learned that sexual abuse had also occurred.”
At six and a half years old, Debbie was moved again—this time to Kangaroo Island.
“My school case represents that day. I was packed up and sent off with a lady I’d never met before, leaving from Adelaide Airport. She was a widow who became my foster mother.
Despite our differences, she guided me into adulthood, and for nearly 45 years until her passing, she was the person I called Mum.”
Among the items Debbie has kept is her early schoolwork in a folder.
“It gives a glimpse of the person I was becoming. Later in life, I reconnected with my birth family, but the bond had been broken before it had hardly begun. My family never knew the full impact of that one decision my mother made.”
“For me, it’s my burden to bear alone.”