Tuesday, March 03, 2015

A New Zealand childhood stolen



In the Hands of Strangers
A New Zealand childhoo stolen
Beverly Wardle-Jackson

‘We were children caught up in a welfare system that was meant to protect us, but ultimately served only to damage us. Yes, it was a different time, but many of the things that happened to us wouldn’t be acceptable in any era. My name is Beverly Wardle-Jackson, and this is my story.’

In 1965, at the age of 12, Beverly Wardle-Jackson,and her nine brothers and sisters were removed from her family and taken into the care of Child Welfare. This was not the first time this had happened, but it was to be the last, as Berverly was made a ward of the state. Although this was deemed to be in the best interests of the children, it was the beginning of one little girl’s nightmare.

In the Hands of Strangers is the heart-wrenching, terribly sad story of Beverly Wardle-Jackson’s stolen childhood. After becoming a State Ward Beverly spent five harrowing years being beaten, locked up, and eventually admitted to Porirua Hospital in Wellington for psychiatric treatment. Her trust was betrayed time and again, while she dreamed of the day she would finally be reunited with her siblings.
Beverly did not regain her freedom until she was 17, at which point she was pregnant. Now a grandmother in her sixties, Beverly has bravely decided to share the story of her lost childhood.

More about the author:
Beverly Wardle-Jackson was first removed from her family and taken into Child Welfare care in 1959 at the age of eight. Four years later she was permanently separated from her brothers and sisters and made a state ward. She spent the next five years in state-run institutions.



March 2015 - : Penguin - RRP $38.00










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