Forced Adoption survivors advocate to change name of Beryl Grant Community Centre to Bessy Flower Centre

An Albany community centre named after “WA’s baby thief” was the site of a protest on Wednesday as survivors of the State’s forced adoption era called for the centre’s name to be changed. Holding “change the name” signs and copies of the 2024 forced adoption parliamentary inquiry report — known to the group as the “truth bible” — 14 women from the Great Southern Adoption Support Group and Association Representing Mothers Separated by Adoption convened outside the Beryl Grant Community Centre. Run by Juniper Aged Care, the centre is named after Beryl Grant, a woman who facilitated hundreds of forced adoptions during her 21-year tenure as matron of Ngala in Perth. GSASG representative Jen McRae, who kicked off the campaign for a parliamentary inquiry, said changing the centre’s name has been on her agenda for a while. “I could see that there was a real disconnect between what people understood that Beryl Grant did, and what we believed and knew about her involvement in our separation,” she said. “So it felt like it was a really important act of restorative justice to have the name changed out of respect to anyone that drives past a sign that jolts them back to that time when they were incarcerated at Ngala as a mother or as a newborn. “I’ve not come across another matron who has been so key to facilitating those practices — so unfortunately (Ms Grant) does have the title of WA’s baby thief, which is a pretty uncomfortable claim to fame.” Louise Kirk said she was 17 when a “very impatient” Ms Grant “manipulated” her into giving her baby up for adoption. Alone with Ms Grant, Ms Kirk said she did not understand what she was signing and was later told “absolutely not” when she tried to take her baby home. “I was a child and I was very frightened and intimidated,” she said. Nita Barrett completed her mothercraft nurse training at Ngala in 1959, and remembers Ms Grant as a “formidable woman”. “You can run things in a nice way or not a nice way and I don’t think she did the nice way,” she said. “I’m incensed that the building was named after Beryl Grant because I didn’t think that she deserved to have that.” A plaque in the centre’s antechamber catalogues Ms Grant’s service to the community, including serving as Juniper’s first female chair. Juniper chief executive Russell Bricknell said he hoped to meet with Ms McRae in the coming weeks to discuss her concerns. “At this stage, Juniper are seeking to understand the view of multiple stakeholders before committing to a direction,” he said. “We are partway through this process so are not yet in a position to indicate either way about a potential name change.” Ms McRae has put forward an alternative name to replace Beryl Grant — Bessy Flower. Ms Flower was a Menang Noongar educator, forced adoption survivor and Indigenous rights advocate against family separation from the 1800s. “She was about bringing families together,” Ms McRae said. “Beryl Grant destroyed families and separated families, so they’re both very different people in that respect.” Ms McRae has also started a change.org petition, that currently has 185 signatures. Ngala declined to comment.