A resource to assist Indigenous people to link up with family was launched by the Director-General of the National Archives of Australia, Ross Gibbs, at the Archives’ Darwin office, Kelsey Crescent, Millner on Friday 11 August.

Published by the National Archives, Tracking Family: A Guide to Aboriginal Records Relating to the Northern Territory, provides information about records relating to Northern Territory Indigenous people, the institutions in which the records are held, access arrangements and contact details, and information about related services.

‘The guide arose from two records forums held in Alice Springs [11 August 2003] and in Darwin [13 November 2003] three years ago,’ Mr Gibbs said.

‘The forums were held to enable participants to broaden their understanding of the organisations involved in the field, and to provide them with advice on the types of records and information held and how to gain access to that material,’ he said.

The records forums were organised jointly by the Darwin office of the National Archives and the Northern Territory Archives Service, and brought together organisations that hold records and family history information useful for Indigenous researchers doing link-up and family history research in the Northern Territory. The organisations represented included:

• Commonwealth and Northern Territory government agencies holding records and information or providing services to the Indigenous community
• church organisations that ran homes and missions
• Indigenous community organisations
• organisations that have an interest in genealogical and historical information.

Mr Gibbs also announced that the Bringing Them Home name index was now available for use by Northern Territory link-up caseworkers. The index was developed by the National Archives as part of the Australian Government’s response to the Report of the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from Their Families.

‘The link-up caseworkers from the Central Australian Stolen Generations and Families Aboriginal Corporation, and KARU Aboriginal Child Care Agency were trained in the use of the BTH index last month. This will enable them to provide a better service to their clients,’ Mr Gibbs said.