Reflections on being a Social Justice Historian: Dr Karen George
Historian Karen George, who worked with Link-Up (Qld) to produce the Sorry Day Research Project this year, was honoured to deliver the Professional Historians Australia’s Wilson History Oration for 2026. Titled Reflections of Being a Social Justice Historian: Connecting Kin, Locating the Lost, and Advocating for Change, Karen used this presentation to continue her advocacy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, improved records access and trauma-informed practices.
Karen draws much of her inspiration from her work as an interviewer for the National Library of Australia’s Bringing Them Home Oral History project between 1998 and 2002. In one example from the Oration, Karen shared a quote from Kaurna Narrunga Elder and Stolen Generations survivor Uncle Sid, who said, “It’s heartbreaking to see these records like this, but then again, it puts the jigsaw puzzle together, the missing link, so that there’s some comfort there now, a bit of comfort to know. Karen says the jigsaw puzzle is a powerful and apt metaphor for the process of piecing together records to find family.
Since her work on the Bringing Them Home Oral History project, Karen has become a specialist in complex family history research, working with and for Stolen Generations survivors in a variety of roles across different projects. Throughout her working journey she has remained a steadfast ally for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
In no small part, this support was shown in the work Karen did for the Sorry Day Research: Aboriginal Girls Home, West End project, conducted collaboratively with the Link-Up (Qld) team.
The project worked to identify the women and girls who were admitted to the Aboriginal Girls Home, West End, and to honour their lives and experiences. Building on earlier work, the project has identified 80 women and girls who are directly or indirectly referenced in records as having been at the Home.
As with all her work, Karen aims to use her research skills to assist wherever she can, while continuing to highlight Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, their history and their enduring resilience.
On her work with Link-Up (Qld), Karen said:
“This report would not exist but for the strength and resilience of the many Aboriginal women and girls whose names and stories appear in this report. It has been a privilege to reclaim their stories and to honour their lives. My hope is that these stories will make their way back to descendants and to the communities from which these women were removed.
My grateful thanks go to Patricia Thompson AM, CEO of Link-Up (Qld), for agreeing to contract me for this project. I am deeply indebted to Ruth Loli, Research Manager, Link-Up (Qld), for the original project concept and the work she completed identifying the first group of women. Most particularly I thank Ruth for entrusting me to continue this research to produce this detailed report.
The Link-Up (Qld) Research Team – Lauren Scheiwe, Daniel Lucas and Calum Farrar – have provided invaluable assistance and support for this work. I am grateful for their involvement.”
Karen also acknowledged the assistance of Kathy Frankland at Community and Personal Histories, and the work already done by Dr Jonathon Richards, as his 2010 indexes were invaluable.
Want to find out more?
Listen to Dr Karen George’s Wilson Oration at www.historians.org.au/wilson-history-oration
Or learn more about the Aboriginal Girls Home, West End at www.link-upqld.org.au/aboriginalgirlshomewestend
Published October 2026.