Rabbit-Proof Fence is a
powerful film based on the true story and experiences of three young Aboriginal
girls, Molly, Gracie and Daisy, who were forcibly taken from their families in Jigalong, Western
Australia in
1931. The film puts a human face on the ‘Stolen Generation’, a phenomenon which
characterized relations between the government and Aborigines in Australia for much of the 20th century. The girls were taken
away to be trained as domestic servants at the Moore River Native Settlement,
north of Perth. This was consistent with official government
assimilationist policy of the time decreeing that ‘half caste’ children should
be taken from their kin and their land, in order to be ‘made white’.Focusing on the escape of the three girls from MooreRiver in the 1930s, the film highlights the despair
experienced by mothers whose children were taken, and the terror and confusion
of those children, snatched from familiar surroundings and forced to adapt to
European ways. Led by fourteen year old Molly, the girls defy all odds to
travel 1600 kilometres through unfamiliar territory to return to their land,
their homes and families in North-Western Australia, with the authorities
chasing them all the way.Rabbit-Proof
Fence is a true story, based on the book, Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence written
by Doris Pilkington, Molly’s daughter. At the end of the film, we see Molly,
aged eighty-four, and Daisy aged seventy-eight, who are still living in
Jigalong today. The Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation argues that
the truth must be spoken and acknowledged by all Australians before
reconciliation can occur. Rabbit-Proof Fence will show viewers truths that many
have not seen or heard about before. The Council tells us that:It was standard practice … Children were taken from
their homes … Whole communities were shifted from their home to another part of
the country. Aboriginal life has been regulated and supervised at almost every
turn. There was no choice.(Reconciliation
and Its Key Issues: Improving Relationships, no.2.)The themes and activities developed in this study
guide will have interest and relevance for teachers and students from the
middle to senior years studying these subjects: Studies of Society and
Environment, Australian History, Cultural Studies, Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander Studies, English, Personal Development, Religious Studies and Media
Studies. In addition to the specific focus on the issue of the Stolen
Generations, Rabbit-Proof Fence explores themes such as Aboriginal
spirituality, relationships with the land, family bonds, courage, determination
and faith.