Elaine Taylor

12 Mar

Written By Roland Maxwell

Elaine was born in Swan Hill, Victoria, in 1949. Her cousins were part of the Stolen Generation.

When she and her siblings were at school at Doveton West Primary, they were called Abos. The headmaster dealt with it at assembly, saying he wouldn’t tolerate any racist comments.

Moonahcullah Station

My parents were born on Moonahcullah Mission near Deniliquin where I grew up, but the family was forced to leave.

My grandparents and parents weren’t allowed to speak language on the mission. Dad left to work outside the mission, but was not allowed back. So we lived in a humpy on banks of a river, under the peppercorn trees. Mum kept it clean and we lived off the land.

My cousins were part of the Stolen Generation. They were taken while mum was looking after them. My auntie had 13 kids. They locked them up in the Deniliquin jail, including a baby in nappies, until the welfare came down from Sydney.

Primary school years

We left Deniliquin to go to Dandenong in a Studebaker, seven kids on a mattress in the back. We arrived in Melbourne and went down Swanston St. looking up at the lights.

Swanston Street by Night (photo by Angus O’Callaghan)

When we were at school at Doveton West Primary, we were called Abos. The headmaster dealt with it at assembly, saying he wouldn’t tolerate any racist comments.

I found cousin Stanley 3 years ago, he’s my age. After we met he said, you know what, you look just the way I imagine my mother to look. He’s lost. He finds it a bit hard to relate to his own mob, because he’s been brought up white.

Caring for the Aboriginal community

My father helped start an Aboriginal Association in Dandenong in the 1960s.

DDACL logo

It was started by three men who used to meet in a pub. One of them was my dad. The Dandenong & District Aborigines Co-Operative supported young people who were coming up from Lake Tyers to go to school. It was based in a garage part of the Hostel up in Dandenong. I was the family support worker. My sister Rhonda was the secretary. Now my son is the Chairperson.

Elaine and her children

In the 60’s I worked as a domestic at Auntie Gladys Nichols Hostel. Auntie Gladys was Sir Doug Nichols’ wife. It led to me being involved with the Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency. If a family was brought to the Department of Human Services attention, they informed VACCA and I worked with the case workers to put into place a cultural plan that involved family decision making. I still do it today.

Elaine’s story was part of the City of Casey presentation of Telling Tales at Bunjil Place in 2017.

Roland Maxwell