Club Youth director, avid traveler, golfer and Hawks fan Harry Hood detailed the fascinating story of “The Grandmothers of Argentina” at Rotary this week.

During the Argentinian military dictatorship of the 70’s and 80’s an estimated 500 children were taken from their mothers, who later disappeared, to be adopted with families sympathetic to the military regime.

In 1977, grieving for lost families, the grandmothers of the children began a search for their loved ones. Many have been located with the aid of genetic testing.

Harry learnt of this story during his recent visit to Argentina. The few remaining “Grandmothers of Argentina” rally every week at the Plaza De Mayo in Buenos Aires and continue their search for the lost children of their daughters.

In order to stand out among the crowds, the mothers decided to wear their children's nappies (diapers) as headscarves. Following the pilgrimage, the mothers decided to continue wearing these headscarves during their meetings and weekly demonstrations at the Plaza.