by Renee Duke
Grantie raised her eyebrows. “Did she, now? That’s interesting.” For a moment, she looked thoughtful. “Perhaps you should hold onto the medallion too. You never know. You might find yourselves in a position to use it in the next little while.”
The End
Historical Background
Did All Home Children Fare As Well As Hetty And Pip?
Unfortunately, no. Hetty and Pip are fictional characters. For real children of the times, life did not always turn out so happily. Some of Canada’s child immigrants did indeed become the cherished sons and daughters of the people with whom they were placed. There were also some who were originally just taken on as hired help, but later came to hold a firm place in their employers’ hearts. Others were simply viewed as cheap labour, domestic servants and farm hands who, even when they were well treated, were not, in any way, considered family.
And most yearned for a family. It is human nature to want to belong to someone, and only about a third of the child immigrants were actually orphans. Abandoned or surrendered by parents unable to care for them, the other two-thirds often had no contact with their relatives once they left England. Some did not even know they had any. A ‘clean-break’ was believed to be the best for all concerned, and the emotional impact of severing family connections was not taken into consideration by any of the institutions. That this caused great heartbreak is indisputable, but it was the mind-set of the day, and few would have questioned it.
Even so, many of the lonely, frightened children who arrived on Canada’s shores did well for themselves. They grew up, acquired farms or businesses, established careers, bought homes, married, and raised children. Had they stayed on the streets of Britain’s big cities, their prospects would have been much bleaker. Life was very hard for poor people during the Victorian era. It was especially hard for children who had no one to look after them. Thomas Barnardo was known as the Father to Nobody’s Children and, without him, many would have perished.
The organization he started still exists, as does that of his Scottish counterpart, William Quarrier. Aware, now, that emotional well-being is as important as physical well-being, they maintain family ties. That is the modern way. It was not the Victorian way. Barnardo, Quarrier, Annie MacPherson, and others like them, served children as best they could for the times they lived in. And had they never begun their work, it could not have evolved into its present form.
Their critics look back, with hindsight.
They looked forward, with faith.
***
Books by Renee Duke from Books We Love
The Time Rose Series
Book 1 The Disappearing Rose
Book 2 The Mud Rose
Book 3 The Spirit Rose
Side Trip
About the Author
Renee Duke grew up in Ontario/B.C., Canada and Berkshire, England. Due to a treacherous re-drawing of county lines while she was out of the country, her little English market town is now in Oxfordshire, but she’s still a Berkshire girl at heart.
After qualifying as an Early Childhood Educator, she went on to work with children of all ages in a number of capacities, including a stint in Belize, Central America with World Peace and Development. These days she still does occasional interactive history units with 6-to-12-year-olds at an after-school care centre but is otherwise retired and able to concentrate on writing.
Mother of one son, and servant to two cats, she resides in Kelowna B.C. with her widowed mother.
Find Renee on Facebook @
https://www.facebook.com/renee.duke.author
https://www.facebook.com/renee.duke.75
Website: www.reneeduke.ca
Blog: https://reneeduke.wordpress.com/
(Time Travelling With Kids)
