Oranges and sunshine were offered to thousands of children to entice them to Australia, and a supposed better life, from post war Britain. They would surely have had plenty of sunshine, but it would appear that the oranges were handed out sparingly to the poor little mites.
I can’t imagine why anyone thought this mass deportation was a good idea. How could anyone have thought it was the right thing to do? Some were orphans, but many were not and children as young as 3 were removed from everything they knew and sent to institutions – and a childhood without love and proper care.
The story is told beautifully in the movie “Oranges and Sunshine” starring Emily Watson, the sublime Hugo Weaving and the very compelling David Wenham. I should point out here that I love Hugo Weaving. I could watch him sitting quietly on a chair doing nothing much for hours.
Find a cinema that is showing this film and go to see it. It may make you sad and quite cross, but you should see it. The movie is taken from the book by Margaret Humphreys, the Nottingham social worker who uncovered the very well hidden secret. Emily Watson plays Margaret.
Then find a DVD of Pricilla, queen of the desert just to see how versatile Hugo Weaving is.