The Social Context of Parramatta Girls Olivia Clare 12th Grade

Alana Valentine’s massaged verbatim play Parramatta Girls (2007) explores the experiences of women who were incarcerated into the Parramatta Girls Home. Through her eight distinct characters that she created, she gives a voice to over five hundred thousand other “Forgotten Australians” who were placed into institutionalized care between 1930 and 1970. Children were classified as either delinquent or neglected by the Children’s Court and then were taken from their friends and families and put into a home. As there were no legal barriers for a person to become employed at these institutions, male and female children alike were subjected to physical violence, sexual abuse, verbal mistreatment, and harsh punishments which had long-lasting psychological impacts. Due to its wide-spread effects, this issue has troubled the entirety of Australia, and its painful legacy continues to live on. The simple eradication of these children provided an easy solution for the Australian government, especially during the 1960’s, where the population at Parramatta Girls Home peaked. This is the social context from which Parramatta Girls was born, as the stories of the women and their personal experiences create the play itself. Through choice of...