Appendix 27
Letter from the Director Child Migrants
Trust to the Clerk of the Committee
Child Migration (CM 13C)I
am writing to clarity some issues which were mentioned during
the oral evidence provided by the Department of Health.Firstly,
after the Trust received its first annual grant from the Department
of Health in April 1990 for £20,000 the Trust's next two
applications for funding by the Department were both rejected,
leaving the Trust without core funding for two years. The evidence
given indicates that the Trust was not funded for only one year.
Sadly this was not the case. Thus, when Canon Fisher gave evidence
on 11 June 1996 he stated that all the sending agencies made application
to the Department of Health in 1992 for funding. As I understand
it Canon Fisher informed the Committee that all the funding from
the DOH had been allocated to the Child Migrants Trust. I reiterate
the position in that the Trust received no funding from the Department
of Health during 1992.On a completely separate matter, I hope
you will not mind me raising with the Committee something that
concerns the Trust greatly. You may of course be aware that children
who sailed on the Asturius in 1947 were finger-printed
on arrival at Freemantle. I attach for you an extract from the
Public Records Office of Western Australia, File CWD A56 ACC 1417
607/46 Volume 1, Folio 90, which is evidence of this practice.
22 July 1998
ExtractPublic Records Office WA File CWD A56 ACC
1417 609/46, Volume 1, Folio 90."17 September 1947The Commissioner
of PoliceI have to confirm my telephone request to obtain your
assistance to thumbprint the children arriving on the Asturias
on Monday next.I have notified the Secretary of the Catholic Emigration
League that this is necessary so that the Department will, in
future, be able to identify each individual child.The Department
has the necessary cards, and I should be pleased if you could
let me have the services of an experienced officer to carry out
the actual work. A table will be provided in the shed on the wharf.It
is anticipated that the children will disembark somewhere between
9 am and 10 am on Monday, but the information on this will be
available later.For your information, I have to state that I discussed
the position with the Hon Minister for Lands and Immigration,
and he approved the proposal.Under Secretary for Lands and Immigration."
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