In this episode, Jo speaks to Jigsaw Qld's President, Dr Trevor Jordan about the emotions that can arise when doing advocacy work, how far we've come in Queensland and Australia and what is possible in the future. Trevor is a long-term advocate of responsible adoption reform and education. For 20 years he taught Public and Professional Ethics at the Queensland University of Technology. As a person adopted in the closed adoption era, he developed a particular interest in ethics and adoption.This episode discusses adult themes and listener discretion is advised. For more information and podcast notes, go to www.jigsawqueensland.com/episodes-notes.

Do you have a story to tell? If so, we'd love to hear from you. Go to www.jigsawqueensland.com/adopt-perspective to fill in a Prospective Guest Form. Note: Adopt Perspective is listened to all over the world!

In today's episode, Jo speaks to Kerri Saint - an adopted person and advocate who was a founding member of the Association for Adoptees. They discuss Kerri's personal experience of adoption and her efforts to seek legislative change, acknowledgement of past wrongs and redress for anyone affected by adoption. This episode discusses adult themes and listener discretion is advised. For more information about Kerri and the Association for Adoptees go to www.jigsawqueensland.com/episodes-notes.

Do you have a story to tell? If so, we'd love to hear from you. Go to www.jigsawqueensland.com/adopt-perspective to fill in a Prospective Guest Form. Note: Adopt Perspective is listened to all over the world!

In this episode, Jane speaks to Deputy CEO of International Social Service (ISS), Damon Martin. ISS Australia provides social work, legal and mediation services to families and children across international borders. This includes assistance for families experiencing international parental child abduction, facilitating international kinship care and other international child welfare matters. This includes intercountry adoption (and general) family tracing, reunification and mediation. ISS Australia is an independent arm of a broader ISS network which spans over 130 countries worldwide. They receive government funding for some services, but relay on fees, donations and other income to continue providing the full range of services. This episode discusses adult themes. For more information about Adopt Perspective or to register your interest in being interviewed by the podcast, go to www.jigsawqueensland.com/podcast

In part one of our intercountry series, Jo speaks to Barton Williams about his experience of being airlifted from war torn Saigon, Vietnam in 1975 as part of the controversial humanitarian mission, Operation Babylift. Barton was raised in the eastern suburbs of Adelaide, by his new Australian adoptive family and went on to represent Australia in water sports, graduated as a school teacher, created an award-winning fitness program for children, wrote two children's picture books (including one about his experience), performs television and movie stunts and is a mad-keen pogo stick jumper! Phew! At the time of this interview, Barton was in pandemic lockdown in London, England.

In time for Father's Day, Jane spoke to Gary Coles, who lost his son to adoption in 1967 and who has written extensively about the experience of fathers who were separated from their sons and daughters by adoption. Gary also worked as a manager for VANISH, a Victorian service supporting all those affected by adoption and donor conception. In 2019 Gary travelled to Queensland and ran a Fathers' workshop for Jigsaw Qld. This episode discusses adult themes and listener discretion is advised. Visit www.jigsawqueensland.com for episode notes and more information about adoption issues and forced adoption.

Jo talks to former Family Court Judge, Professor Nahum Mushin about his experience chairing the Forced Adoption Apology Reference Group; the dramatic day the Federal apology was delivered, why forced adoption doesn't appear to have as much community recognition as other prominent issues and the unfinished business still remaining seven years after the apology was delivered. And as Queensland debates amendments to the child protection bill and Victoria begin their own inquiry into forced adoption, they also discuss his views on the future of the practice in Australia.

Hilary shares her story of the lifelong impacts of being separated from her daughter by adoption in Christchurch, New Zealand in 1962 and their subsequent reunion. This episode discusses adult themes and listener discretion is advised. Visit www.jigsawqueensland.com for more information about adoption issues and forced adoption.

In the second episode of our late discovery series, we speak to Dr Helen Riley about her personal story and her research into late discovery adoption. Imagine discovering that you're adopted as an adult. This disclosure might come following the death of an adoptive parent, by accident, when approached by a biological family member, while applying for a passport, finding adoption papers or during a family argument. These are just some of the ways late discoverers have found out the truth. This episode discusses adult themes and listener discretion is advised. Visit www.jigsawqueensland.com for more information about adoption issues or for notes about this episode.

Imagine discovering that you're adopted as an adult. This disclosure might come following the death of an adoptive parent, by accident, when approached by a biological family member, while applying for a passport, finding adoption papers or during a family argument. These are just some of the ways late discoverers have found out the truth. Over two episodes, we'll be unpacking late discovery adoption. In this episode we speak to Sue about her experience of discovering she was adopted at the age of twenty-three, during a family disagreement and how writing has helped her process her experience. This episode discusses adult themes and listener discretion is advised. Visit www.jigsawqueensland.com for more information about adoption issues or for notes about this episode.

In Part Two, we talk more about the various forms of grief and loss we may encounter and how the adoption experience adds an additional layer of complexity when tackling these experiences. This episode discusses adult themes and listener discretion is advised. Visit www.jigsawqueensland.com for more information about adoption issues or for notes about this episode.