Brothers torn apart by Stolen Generations policies share their story

Brothers Allen Edwards and Iain Seymour experienced a deeply emotional reunion after 55 years apart, a meeting that underscored the lasting trauma of Australia's Stolen Generations policies. Their separation was a direct consequence of policies that forcibly removed Indigenous children from their families and cultures.

Iain Seymour, 61, learned through a DNA test in 2023 that he had Aboriginal heritage. A service called Link Up SA helped him trace his family, and within moments, a counselor identified his mother, Avis Edwards (later Avis Gale), and revealed he had a brother, Allen.

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It's very emotional and, even now, it still affects me and I'm struggling to deal with it.

Their mother, Avis Gale, was taken from her own mother at just one week old in 1945. Raised at Colebrook Home, an institution run by the United Aborigines Mission, she was later separated from her infant son Iain in 1964 before returning to Adelaide, where she had Allen and two daughters. Colebrook Home operated until 1972, with the stated aim of assimilating children into white society.

The brothers finally met in February 2024 at the site of the former Colebrook Home, now Colebrook Reconciliation Park. The reunion, while joyful, also brought a profound sadness, as it highlighted how a second generation of their family had been torn apart by the same policies that disconnected Iain and his mother from their Aboriginal heritage. "It's very emotional and, even now, it still affects me and I'm struggling to deal with it," Iain shared.

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My legs went to jelly.