Katherine Mary Clutterbuck

Who was Katherine Mary Clutterbuck?

Katherine Mary Clutterbuck CSC MBE, usually known as Sister Kate, was an Anglican nun who pioneered a cottage home system for looking after orphan babies and children in Western Australia. She later became well known for her work with Indigenous Australian children who were selected according to a criterion of skin colour and sent to her homes to groom the young "nearly white" children for absorption into the white community. These children would later be described as part of the "Stolen Generation".

Clutterbuck was the daughter of well-off parents, Captain Clutterbuck and his wife.

Clutterbuck was awarded an Order of the British Empire, on 1 January 1934, for her services to disadvantaged children.

In December 2006, the West Australian newspaper published a list entitled the "100 Most Influential Western Australians" which included Clutterbuck. The list was developed by a committee including several eminent Western Australian historians.