Television Shows Warrior Nun 2020 Warrior Nun (2020-2022) is an American fantasy drama series created by Simon Barry. Warrior Nun centres around a 19-year-old woman, Ava Silva (Alba Baptista) who wakes up in a morgue. Ava had been orphaned at the age of 7 & she was taken in by St Michael’s Orphanage where she was abused by Sister Frances. After she wakes up from a drug overdose (administered by Sister Frances) in the morgue, Ava discovers she has been liberated from the orphanage & is now part of the ancient Order of the Cruciform Sword. As the new “Halo Bearer” for the Order, Ava joins with the other nuns to fight earthly demons. External Website

Performing Arts Singer, entertainer, Australian Smoky Dawson Smoky Dawson AM MBE (1913 – 2008), born as Herbert Henry Brown, was an Australian country music performer, radio star, entertainer, and icon. He was born in Victoria; his mother died when Herbie was six and Herbie was taken from his father's care - because of the violence - when he was nine. Placed in an orphanage provided some respite from being belted but the freedom he got in a summer foster care placement when he was 12 made Herbie decide to never return to the orphanage. In 1934 Dawson formed a group and began broadcasting on Australian radio. 7 years later he signed with Columbia Records and toured the country with I’m a Happy Go Lucky Cowhand. Smoky Dawson continued his singing career until his death in 2008. Amongst other awards, he was inducted into the Hands of Fame in Tamworth in 1977, awarded an order of the British Empire in 1983, and made a Member of the Order of Australian in 1999. He was also inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2005. External Website

Autobiography/Memoir Forced Adoption: A Memoir Alison Willoughby 2023 Forced Adoption: A Memoir (2023) is written by Australian adoptee, Alison Willoughby. Alison Willoughby was born in 1965. She was taken into the care of her adoptive parents just 2 weeks later and formally adopted when she was 10 months ago. Alison was 19 when her birth mother contacted her, and it was only then she understood why she’d been relinquished as a baby. From the publisher: “As this heart-warming story of bravery and resilience explores the long-term impacts of adoption, the author offers insights, and hopes to assist others in navigating their own emotional struggles, while striving to increase awareness in a world where forced adoption has been suppressed, shining light into a dark period of history, creating space for a nation to continue the journey of healing.” External Website

Authors L Lewis ➝ Land of Sin ➝ Louis Theroux's Altered States: Take My Baby ➝ Long Lost Family ➝ Little Fires Everywhere ➝ Lessons in Chemistry (TV Series) ➝ London Spy ➝ Little House on the Prairie ➝ The Law According to Lidia Poet ➝ Long Bright River ➝ Lace ➝ Little Bird ➝ Lost Boys & Fairies ➝ Lupin ➝ Lord of the Flies (TV Series) ➝ Back to Top

Films/Videos Careful, He Might Hear You 1983 Careful, He Might Hear You is a 1983 Australian drama film. It is based on the 1963 novel of the same name by Australian- American author Sumner Locke Elliott. Two sisters are locked in a custody battle over their young nephew, PS, who has been raised by his aunt Lila and her husband George since his mother died soon after his birth. When Lila's richer sister Vanessa returns from overseas, she seeks custody of PS, citing the opportunities she can give him. External Website

Autobiography/Memoir Ways of the Wicked Witch Deidre Michell 2012 Deidre Michell is a Forgotten Australian, one of six siblings taken into State Care during the 1960s, In this book Deidre describes the healing process which enabled her to move through the grief of losing her family and into a new, more fulfilling stage of her life. External Website

Authors F Ralph Fasanella ➝ Back to Top

Films/Videos Dave 2025 In this video, Dave reflects on the devastating impact of his childhood. Dave was born in 1957 & immediately abandoned by his parents. He grow up in various children's homes in Victoria, Australia including the notorious Allambie Reception Centre as a State Ward. Since he was about 42 years age, Dave has been assessing the impact on him of his childhood - the abandonment, & the abuse he both witnessed & experienced. External Website

Fiction featuring Care Experience The Secret Child Kerry Fisher 2017 Susie was forced to do something she will always regret. Everything that led to the choice she made had to be buried and forgotten. Her secret echoes down through the years, tainting everything it touches. Her husband wonders why his wife is so distant. Her daughters can’t understand their changeable mother. External Website

Television Shows Long Lost Family 2011 Long Lost Family is a British television series that works to reunite long separated relatiives. The program includes reuniting fathers to children and adopted children to birth family. The socio-historical contexts for the separations are also included. The Irish Magdalene Laundries (Series 6) and the shipment of children to Australia (2022 Special) are included in the series which is presented by Davina Mcall and adoptee Nicky Campbell. External Website

Poets Cast: In the darkness of night is where we find light Rowan Aderyn 2023 Rowan Aderyn's early childhood was marked by trauma, and spent time in foster care. Rowan earned numerous qualifications including a Master's degree in Project Management and success within one of the UK's largest firms. Cast is an anthology of poems and a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. The collection of poems explore themes of abuse, identity, healing, resilience, and hope. Link to website: https://rowanaderyn.com/ External Website

Writers Lanai Scarr 1988- Australian political journalist, Lanai Scarr (b. 1988), was in foster care and kinship care as a child. Lanai Scarr (then Vasek) was 5 when she went into foster care because her mother was unwell. After her mother killed herself in 1995, Lanai lived with her maternal grandparents. When that stopped working, she lived with her paternal grandmother for a while, but was in 7 different foster care placements for 4 years. Eventually Lanai boarded at Stella Maris College in Sydney and this changed her life, preparing her a career in journalism. Lanai Scarr is now Political Editor of The West Australian newspaper. She has also contributed to an anthology, The Motherhood (2018), edited by Jamila Rizvi. External Website

Comics, Comic books & Graphic Novels Valda Valda 1968 Abandoned as a baby, Valda was found and raised by a Gypsy woman named Dorcas. Valda was created in 1968 for the Girl's comic Mandy, she was designed to be a female equivalent to the popular character William Wilson. Her first appearance was in the 56th issue of the comic. External Website

Autobiography/Memoir Lost in the System Charlotte Dworkin Lopez et al. 1996 Miss Teen USA for 1992, a foster child, recounts her struggle since the age of two to find stability within multiple homes and shelters, her triumphant pageant success, and her joyful adoption. External Website

Performing Arts Radio & TV personality Art Linkletter Arthur Gordon Linkletter (born Gordon Arthur Kelly or Arthur Gordon Kelly (sources differ), 1912 – 2010) was a Canadian-born American radio and television personality. He was abandoned when only a few weeks old and later adopted by the Linkletters. He was the host of House Party, which ran on CBS radio and television for 25 years, and People Are Funny, which aired on NBC radio and television for 19 years. Linkletter became a naturalized United States citizen in 1942. Old clips from Linkletter's House Party program were later featured as segments on the first incarnation of Kids Say the Darndest Things. A series of books followed which contained the humorous comments made on-air by children. He appeared in four films. External Website

Radio & Podcast Nina Bernstein and June Norton on Ella Fitzgerald American Masters Before jazz legend Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996) became the First Lady of Song, she spent much of her teenage years as an orphan, at times living on the street, as journalist Nina Berstein discovered.. External Website

Fiction featuring Care Experience Political Suicide Michael Palmer 2014 When high-society doctor Gary McHugh believes he will be arrested for murder, he turns to old friend Dr Lou Welcome for help. Lou Welcome's best friend and AA sponsor is a care experienced character. Cap Duncan is a former professional boxer and now runs a gym, training Lou and Lou's 13 year old daughter, Emily. Cap doesn't feature heavily in the story but is there in pivotal moments. External Website

Blogs/Web Pages/Articles Interview with Jilly Cooper Phil 2006 Phil Frampton interviewed Jilly Cooper in 2006. One of the main characters in Wicked is Paris Alvaston who is in care. This interview sheds some interesting light on Cooper's motivation for creating this character. At Bagley Hall, a chaotic yet elite school, headmaster Hengist Brett-Taylor schemes to merge with failing Larkminster Comprehensive. Financial motives clash with forbidden attraction, wary parents, rebellious staff, and students ready for mayhem. External Website

Blogs/Web Pages/Articles Care Experienced History Month Care Experienced History Month 2020 April 2021 was the first-ever Care Experienced History Month. The webite includes a wealth of information including blogs on Global Perspectives of the History of Care before 1800, a history of care around the world, stories about Care Experienced people like writers JRR Tolkien and Maya Angelou, reoordings of lectures given throughout the month, and a host of other resources. External Website

Films/Videos Steve Jobs 2015 The Apple computer company founder, Steve Jobs, was adopted as a baby. In this film, Steve Jobs is portrayed by Michael Fassbender and is a based on the book Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson. The film tells the story of Steve Jobs' life and development of the portable computer around the launch of 3 products - the Apple Macintosh in 1984, the black cube by NeXT in 1988, and the iMac in 1998. External Website