Welcome to Somebody's Daughter

Reuniting with His Mother

The Quest for Truth

The Power of Women in Adoption

Navigating Family Relationships

The Legal Battle for Recognition

The Department's Obstruction

The Victim Impact Statement

The Aftermath of Adoption Discharge

Uncovering Hidden Truths

The Fight Continues

Seeking Justice Through the Commission

Closing Remarks and Contact Information

On our final episode of the season, we resume our conversation with Queensland adoptee Michael Costello, whose quest to unravel the truth behind his horrific childhood has left him with more questions than answers.

We hear how after reuniting with his mum, they embarked on a fight to turn back the clock, overcoming a mountain of red tape in order to be legally recognised as mother and son again.

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LINKS

Follow @somebodysdaughter_podcast on Instagram

Follow @somebodysdaughterpodcast on TikTok

Follow @megannorris_author on Instagram

Follow @moyramajor on Instagram

Visit Origins Australia originsaustralia.org

Visit Origins Australia facebook.com/groups/originsaustralia

Email us somebodysdaughterpodcast@gmail.com

Email Megan megan@newscoop.com.au

Follow @woodworkpodcasts on Instagram and TikTok

CREDITS

Hosts: Megan Norris and Moyra Major

Guest: Michael Costello

Mobile Podcast Recording and Digital Content Production: Ben Wood at Wood Work Digital Studio

Enquiries: ben@woodworkdigitalstudio.com.au

On our final episode of the season, we resume our conversation with Queensland adoptee Michael Costello, whose quest to unravel the truth behind his horrific childhood has left him with more questions than answers.
We hear how after reuniting with his mum, they embarked on a fight to turn back the clock, overcoming a mountain of red tape in order to be legally recognised as mother and son again.
---
LINKS
Follow @somebodysdaughter_podcast on Instagram
Follow @somebodysdaughterpodcast on TikTok
Follow @megannorris_author on Instagram
Follow @moyramajor on Instagram
Visit Origins Australia originsaustralia.org
Visit Origins Australia facebook.com/groups/originsaustralia
Email us <a href="mailto:somedbodysdaughterpodcast@gmail.com">somebodysdaughterpodcast@gmail.com</a>
Email Megan <a href="mailto:megan@newscoop.com.au">megan@newscoop.com.au</a>
Follow @woodworkpodcasts on Instagram and TikTok
CREDITS
Hosts: Megan Norris and Moyra Major
Guest: Michael Costello
Mobile Podcast Recording and Digital Content Production: Ben Wood at Wood Work Digital Studio
Enquiries: ben@woodworkdigitalstudio.com.au

150,000 stolen babies - The truth behind the crimes Australia tried to hide

150,000 stolen babies - The truth behind the crimes Australia tried to hide

Somebody’s Daughter

Episode 8: Michael Costello. Part 2.

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/fa326977-3de5-4283-9b8b-af3500c58607/clips/3c9c3359-f0c2-4f49-a52b-b46a00b3e62f/transcript

A Troubled Birth and Early Years

The Impact of Independent Voices

Michael's Story Begins

A Childhood of Abuse and Neglect

The Power of Education and Escape

Finding Support and Building a New Life

The Obstacle Course of Trust and

The Trauma of the Past Care Home

Reconnecting with his Mother

The Truth About Michael's Birth and Family

First Meeting and Building a Relationship

When Michael Costello made his debut at the Women’s Hospital in Brisbane in August 1970 he was immediately separated from his teenage mother before she could even hold him and spent the next three months in the hospital nursery crying and alone in his crib.

A sickly infant who had never known what it was like to feel a mother’s love, Michael was transferred to a children’s home and it would be another year before he was placed with a foster family who later went on to adopt him.

Amazingly, though other youngsters in the family’s care were subsequently removed by the authorities, Michael remained behind, trapped in a nightmare beyond anyone’s wildest dreams.

---

LINKS

Follow @somebodysdaughter_podcast on Instagram

Follow @somebodysdaughterpodcast on TikTok

Follow @megannorris_author on Instagram

Follow @moyramajor on Instagram

Visit Origins Australia originsaustralia.org

Visit Origins Australia facebook.com/groups/originsaustralia

Email us somebodysdaughterpodcast@gmail.com

Email Megan megan@newscoop.com.au

Follow @woodworkpodcasts on Instagram and TikTok

CREDITS

Hosts: Megan Norris and Moyra Major

Guest: Michael Costello

Mobile Podcast Recording and Digital Content Production: Ben Wood at Wood Work Digital Studio

Enquiries: ben@woodworkdigitalstudio.com.au

When Michael Costello made his debut at the Women&rsquo;s Hospital in Brisbane in August 1970 he was immediately separated from his teenage mother before she could even hold him and spent the next three months in the hospital nursery crying and alone in his crib. A sickly infant who had never known what it was like to feel a mother&rsquo;s love, Michael was transferred to a children&rsquo;s home and it would be another year before he was placed with a foster family who later went on to adopt him. Amazingly, though other youngsters in the family&rsquo;s care were subsequently removed by the authorities, Michael remained behind, trapped in a nightmare beyond anyone&rsquo;s wildest dreams.
---
LINKS
Follow @somebodysdaughter_podcast on Instagram
Follow @somebodysdaughterpodcast on TikTok
Follow @megannorris_author on Instagram
Follow @moyramajor on Instagram
Visit Origins Australia originsaustralia.org
Visit Origins Australia facebook.com/groups/originsaustralia
Email us <a href="mailto:somedbodysdaughterpodcast@gmail.com">somebodysdaughterpodcast@gmail.com</a>
Email Megan <a href="mailto:megan@newscoop.com.au">megan@newscoop.com.au</a>
Follow @woodworkpodcasts on Instagram and TikTok
CREDITS
Hosts: Megan Norris and Moyra Major
Guest: Michael Costello
Mobile Podcast Recording and Digital Content Production: Ben Wood at Wood Work Digital Studio
Enquiries: ben@woodworkdigitalstudio.com.au

Episode 7: Michael Costello. Part 1.

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/fa326977-3de5-4283-9b8b-af3500c58607/clips/93d0f8c8-8a7a-4d6d-8637-b46300b8adf7/transcript

A Tragic Love Story Unfolds

The Pregnancy Revelation and Family Conflict

A Secret Romance and Elton John Concert

The Lockdown Begins

A Narrow Escape and Hospital Visit

The Adoption Push Continues

A Traumatic Birth and Coercion

The Aftermath and Legal Challenges

Somebody's Daughter Podcast Support

Reunions and Heartbreak

The End of an Era

The Search Begins

The Changing Landscape of Adoption Laws

The Quest for Identity

The First Contact

The Reunion and Its Challenges

The Lasting Impact

Origins Australia Support Services

The heady romance that blossomed between Cameron Horn and his high school sweetheart, Mary was a real-life Romeo and Juliet love story with an equally tragic ending.

When the 20-year-old university student discovered the love of his life was expecting his baby, the lovebirds agreed they would marry and raise their love-child together, living the dream on Sydney’s northern beaches.

Sadly, those dreams came crashing down when eighteen-year-old Mary’s strict Catholic father found out about the baby. In a fit of rage, he banishing Cameron from Mary’s life and she spent her entire pregnancy locked in her bedroom where she was told that unless she gave her baby up for adoption, the family would turn their backs on her.

---

LINKS

Follow @somebodysdaughter_podcast on Instagram

Follow @somebodysdaughterpodcast on TikTok

Follow @megannorris_author on Instagram

Follow @moyramajor on Instagram

Visit Origins Australia originsaustralia.org

Visit Origins Australia facebook.com/groups/originsaustralia

Email us somebodysdaughterpodcast@gmail.com

Email Megan megan@newscoop.com.au

Follow @woodworkpodcasts on Instagram and TikTok

CREDITS

Hosts: Megan Norris and Moyra Major

Guest: Cameron Horn

Mobile Podcast Recording and Digital Content Production: Ben Wood at Wood Work Digital Studio

Enquiries: ben@woodworkdigitalstudio.com.au

The heady romance that blossomed between Cameron Horn and his high school sweetheart, Mary was a real-life Romeo and Juliet love story with an equally tragic ending. When the 20-year-old university student discovered the love of his life was expecting his baby, the lovebirds agreed they would marry and raise their love-child together, living the dream on Sydney&rsquo;s northern beaches. Sadly, those dreams came crashing down when eighteen-year-old Mary&rsquo;s strict Catholic father found out about the baby. In a fit of rage, he banishing Cameron from Mary&rsquo;s life and she spent her entire pregnancy locked in her bedroom where she was told that unless she gave her baby up for adoption, the family would turn their backs on her.
---
LINKS
Follow @somebodysdaughter_podcast on Instagram
Follow @somebodysdaughterpodcast on TikTok
Follow @megannorris_author on Instagram
Follow @moyramajor on Instagram
Visit Origins Australia originsaustralia.org
Visit Origins Australia facebook.com/groups/originsaustralia
Email us <a href="mailto:somedbodysdaughterpodcast@gmail.com">somebodysdaughterpodcast@gmail.com</a>
Email Megan <a href="mailto:megan@newscoop.com.au">megan@newscoop.com.au</a>
Follow @woodworkpodcasts on Instagram and TikTok
CREDITS
Hosts: Megan Norris and Moyra Major
Guest: Cameron Horn
Mobile Podcast Recording and Digital Content Production: Ben Wood at Wood Work Digital Studio
Enquiries: ben@woodworkdigitalstudio.com.au

Episode 6: Cameron Horn.

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/fa326977-3de5-4283-9b8b-af3500c58607/clips/ce8710d4-e3bd-4d9c-9cc6-b45c003f75fb/transcript

The Stolen Generation's Legacy

A Teenage Mother's Heartbreak

The Pressure to Give Up

A Painful Hospital Experience

Life After Loss

Reconnecting with Joanne

Health Impacts of DES

A Joyful Reunion

Full Circle: Family, Love, and Grandchildren

Between 1949 and 1990 more than 150,000 babies were systematically stolen from young vulnerable mothers in hospitals and maternity homes around Australia under the Government’s historic forced adoption policies.

In 1969, seventeen-year-old Wendy Pankhurst’s beautiful newborn baby was one of them.

Distressed and sedated, the grieving teenager was separated from other mothers at the small country hospital in NSW where, heavily sedated, she was pressured into giving her up for adoption.

Today, Wendy joins us from her home in country NSW, reflecting on the heartache of the lifelong suffering that continues to dog the lives of thousands of survivors who are victims of a crime Australia tried to hide. 

---

LINKS

Follow @somebodysdaughter_podcast on Instagram

Follow @somebodysdaughterpodcast on TikTok

Follow @megannorris_author on Instagram

Follow @moyramajor on Instagram

Visit Origins Australia originsaustralia.org

Visit Origins Australia facebook.com/groups/originsaustralia

Email us somebodysdaughterpodcast@gmail.com

Email Megan megan@newscoop.com.au

Follow @woodworkpodcasts on Instagram and TikTok

CREDITS

Hosts: Megan Norris and Moyra Major

Guest: Wendy Pankhurst

Mobile Podcast Recording and Digital Content Production: Ben Wood at Wood Work Digital Studio

Enquiries: ben@woodworkdigitalstudio.com.au

Between 1949 and 1990 more than 150,000 babies were systematically stolen from young vulnerable mothers in hospitals and maternity homes around Australia under the Government&rsquo;s historic forced adoption policies. In 1969, seventeen-year-old Wendy Pankhurst&rsquo;s beautiful newborn baby was one of them. Distressed and sedated, the grieving teenager was separated from other mothers at the small country hospital in NSW where, heavily sedated, she was pressured into giving her up for adoption. Today, Wendy joins us from her home in country NSW, reflecting on the heartache of the lifelong suffering that continues to dog the lives of thousands of survivors who are victims of a crime Australia tried to hide.&nbsp;
---
LINKS
Follow @somebodysdaughter_podcast on Instagram
Follow @somebodysdaughterpodcast on TikTok
Follow @megannorris_author on Instagram
Follow @moyramajor on Instagram
Visit Origins Australia originsaustralia.org
Visit Origins Australia facebook.com/groups/originsaustralia
Email us <a href="mailto:somedbodysdaughterpodcast@gmail.com">somebodysdaughterpodcast@gmail.com</a>
Email Megan <a href="mailto:megan@newscoop.com.au">megan@newscoop.com.au</a>
Follow @woodworkpodcasts on Instagram and TikTok
CREDITS
Hosts: Megan Norris and Moyra Major
Guest: Wendy Pankhurst
Mobile Podcast Recording and Digital Content Production: Ben Wood at Wood Work Digital Studio
Enquiries: ben@woodworkdigitalstudio.com.au

Episode 5: Wendy Pankhurst.

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/fa326977-3de5-4283-9b8b-af3500c58607/clips/217ff635-f587-489f-9ebd-b455001e4985/transcript

Episode 8: Michael Costello. Part 2.

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