IT TOOK decades to be recognised as a shameful tragedy that scarred the lives of thousands of people.
Children from Cornwall as young as 5 were shipped off to Australia, far away from their families, to toil on farms.
One of those sent away was Bill Stokes, now 71. He lived with his mother in Falmouth until he was 6, but was taken from the family home by social services when she was deemed unfit to look after him.
At the age of 8 he was shipped off to Fairbridge Farm school in Pinjarra, Western Australia, where he was beaten and whipped.
The shocking treatment meted out to youngsters separated from their families eventually prompted apologies from both the British and Australian governments.
He returned to Truro to be reunited with a 67-year-old sister he had seen only once before, a half-sister and six half-brothers and their children.
Mr Stokes said his experience of being shipped out to Fairbridge Farm had been bewildering and terrifying.
"We had nobody to turn to and it was pretty hard for young children to go through that," he said.
"They whipped us and you daren't speak back."
Mr Stokes lived in a dormitory with dozens of other young children, forced to get up to start work at 4.30am.
"I knew nothing," said Mr Stokes. "I had no idea why I was out in Australia."
Mr Stokes said he had managed to escape the sexual abuse that took place at Fairbridge Farm.
He said: "There were some terrible things happened there, especially with the girls, but fortunately it didn't happen to me."
At the age of 16 the children were moved out to farms and Mr Stokes found himself working 13 hours a day – but the skills he learnt were to provide a way out and a route to the education he had always craved.
He said: "I worked as a shearer and worked hard enough to get a place of my own. Slowly I got my own business and educated myself. I got through university and ended up as a registered nurse."
In his twenties, Mr Stokes tried to discover more about the mystery of his life and where he had come from.
"Nobody knew I existed," he said. "I came back and found where my family were. All of a sudden there were people who were my brothers and sisters. Since then I've been back a couple of times.
"I'm a little bit bitter. If I had been here I would have been looking after the little ones, but I may have had better opportunities by going over there.
"The apology from the British government certainly helps, but when I get on a plane back to Australia I feel there's something missing from me."
