The Girls Who Walked Along The Rabbit-Proof Fence To Freedom | Australia's Stolen Generation
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- čas přidán 1. 12. 2022
- PLEASE NOTE Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers should note that this video contains the names and possibly images of deceased persons.
In 1931, three young girls set off an extraordinary trek across Australia, from south to north, crossing over 1500km in an effort to get home. They were part of Australia's 'Stolen Generation', mixed-raced Aboriginal children taken from their families and placed in settlements far from home...
**I had made an error in the video earlier, stating that they had got close to Marble Bar, when I actually mean to say the two men who helped them were FROM Marble Bar. Apologies, I do make errors sometimes, and thank you to the person who pointed it out to me! This has now been removed.**
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Sources and Related Books:
Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence by Doris Pilkington (Nugi Garimara)
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Rabbit-Proof Fence (DVD)
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Daughter of the River Country by Dianne O'Brien
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For my images and footage, thanks to:
Pixabay
Wikimedia Commons, especially:
Brian Jenkins (Bjenks)
Roguengineer
Calistemon
Travis Saron
Jim Bendon
Gazjo
And Territory Stories, particularly:
Library & Archives NT. Clarke, B. (1940). Children with Catholic sisters. Duncan Jenkins Collection, PH0094-0168;
Library and Archives NT. (1930). Women and children. S. Cawood Collection, PH0284-0021;
Library & Archives NT. Lillicrapp, Bill (1940). House girls. William Henry Lillicrapp Collection, PH0847-0253
All other artwork was created with the help of DREAM, an AI art creation program. dream.ai/create - Zábava
Molly is an Australian heroine. Her grit is admirable. Her treatment, along with all persecuted in this way is inhumane and heartbreaking.
It's all the more impressive that she was only a young girl when she made the journey - as were her sister and cousin, of course. It's heartbreaking that history repeated itself with her daughters later, but at least one of them found her again.
I was born in 1959, and therefore I was quite young at the end of this time. But I am still ashamed of my Government and my country for causing the stolen generation. The loss of culture, language, and "country" is immeasurable to these people and tribes. Finally our Government said "sorry". But it was really too little, too late. Between this, and the White Australia Policy, I am glad that things are changing, but not nearly fast enough. In 2002 a movie called Rabbit-Proof Fence was released depicting this story of triumph and tragedy.
The then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd saying 'sorry' was the first time I had heard of the Stolen Generation. Yes, it definitely was 'too little, too late'. At least what happened was highlighted in the media at the time of 'The Apology'. As a result, many more people became aware of the ignorance, cruelty and damage done in the past, and now have a greater understanding of the foundation of current Australia.
It happened here in The USA and Canada. I hate what they did to all of them. It breaks my heart.
It was a part of the colonial mindset, to make everyone emulate white European culture.
This brought tears to my eyes. I knew a bit about this story from the movie that came out in the early 2000s but I was just a kid then. I'm a mother now and I can't imagine how it feels to have your own children taken away from you and being helpless to do anything about it.
I feel exactly the same - approaching it as a mother is so much harder. I can't imagine the agony those poor families went through. When I read about how they hurt themselves because it was the only expression of grief they had any control over, that really hit home.
Thank you so much for sharing this deeply emotional story!!! In 2008 I found " The Rabbbit-proof Fence" at a VideoClub & borrowed it . I cried for many days after watching the movie! I was so happy they made it back to their families! I bought the movie to keep in my Cinéthèque...It is one of the most shocking true stories I had ever seen..The courage of these 3 very young sisters is proof how the urge for FREEDOM is so important it makes you surpass yourself! In this case it was also about being TRUE to your ROOTS! It is deeply shameful what happened to the Aboriginals....They have done similar cruel practices to the Canadian Native Indians...Many died in Catholic Boarding Homes from ill-treatement & suicide! Arrogance is what drives people to do this to LOVED children! Those little girls were so loved by their original family! It is criminal what was done in Australia to Aboriginal children!
Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it! 😊 It's all thanks to one of my other lovely subscribers; she mentioned the story to me in a comment as I hadn't heard of them, so she gave me the idea to do a video about them. They really did have such amazing courage, especially for being so young!
The movie exaggerated the bad and ignored much of the positive. The original book gives a far more balanced appraisal.
@@karljuhnke8882 What was "good" about what they did to the Aboriginals???!!! It was a disgrace of racist Colonialism!
I'm lost for words and still crying at the moment. Beautifully done!
Molly was an exceptional girl and her story of determination to escape bureaucracy for the simple human right of being with family is the perfect representation of some of Australia's shameful dirty past. I believe that everyday Australians have always had open, welcoming hearts, as shown to the girls in the travels, but the Government's and bureaucracy for 200 years will always leave a sad, sour note to being a proud Aussie.
Thank you so much for sharing - you truly did it justice💕
Thank you very much, that means a lot - I always want to do these stories justice, if I can. Molly really was exceptional, and I think all three girls were very brave. I feel for poor Gracie; she was just a tired little girl who was promised her mother.
I think it's good this isn't hidden history anymore, and steps are being taken respectfully to repair what was done.
Thank you to History’s Forgotten People for highlighting this incredible story. Those girls were amazing!
They really were! They were so resourceful and brave. There are adults who wouldn't have done that trip so well.
Thank you for bringing this story. It is both heart wrenching and motivating.
You're welcome! 😊 And I agree - the good bit is that Australia is doing so much good work now to heal itself, rather than ignoring it.
It's very sad what has been done to families all over the world throughout history. It's greed disguised as doing something good for others.
It is a very sad story, and as you say, not unique to any one place. The good part is that modern Australia is doing so much to help repair the damage done.
There's a film "Rabbit-Proof Fence" and during the filming the cast and crew broke down in tears multiple times.
I watched that before I put this video up (at the great suggestion of one of my lovely subscribers), and it was such an amazing but hard film to watch.
A very tragic and heart rendering story . Inhuman behaviour of the white people will never be forgiven
Nor should we be.
This wasn’t that long ago, as much as some people would like us to think.
It really wasn't, sadly! The official acts weren't repealed until the 1970s in most parts of Australia. But they have at least made a huge effort now to both repair what damage they can, and no longer hide the story.
@@HistorysForgottenPeople Unlike here in the US. They try to bury everything then wonder why it keeps being brought up.
Switzerland was astounded to find out that something very similar was happening with Romany children also in the '70 s. Being a true democracy, the process was stopped.
I didn't know about this either - I just looked it up. The 'Kinder der Landstrasse'? It sounds horrific, some of them weren't even placed in any form of settlement with others, but put in psychiatric hospitals and prisons. And the same as in Australia, that of the state having legal guardianship over children, so they could be removed from their parents. Thank you for sharing this, I'll have to remember it for a future video.
I've been looking forward to this all week!
I hope you enjoyed it! 😊
@@HistorysForgottenPeople very much so, thank you!
As much as I prefer older topics, sometimes those like this one positively surprise us! Have a nice weekend:)
Thank you! 😊 I've got to admit, modern history isn't my favourite usually, either, but sometimes I just come across a good story.
I find this story heart-breaking. This is similar to the treatment of First Nations people in Canada. It begs the question: Who are the civilized people here? The refusal to recognize Aboriginal People as true human beings is a blight on European colonists. I am settler stock myself, so I direct these comments to myself as well.
I think the descendents of those settlers today are, thankfully, not their ancestors, though, and things are definitely going in the right direction. 😊
@@HistorysForgottenPeoplesadly there is still a substantial gap between the life expectancy and living standards between Indigenous and non- Indigenous Australians. Thus the wrongs continue.
I have heard about this story. The history of taking children from their family, community is just one more stain on our society. We did similar things to the native American children in America. I'm sure they meant to be cruel but thought they were doing if for the greater good. Truth is we haven't learned a darn thing. There are tribes in the amazon who haven't had contact with modern civilization. They are supposed to be protected but stories come out once in a while of massacres because people or corporations want the land and it's resources.
Well said.
You absolutely right, and I think part of the reason is stories like this can get tucked away, and then they're relegated to 'a different time' - in other words, people assume it wouldn't happen now because we're so different to the past. But the truth is - as you say - that often humanity doesn't change. Even when it's uncomfortable, we have to talk about it so it never happens again, and so those still living can find some peace.
The corporations from China and Russia desecrating the Amazon in Venezuela, they have killed hundreds of Yanomami natives.
@@HistorysForgottenPeople It's still going on here today.
@@di3486 I did not know about China's and Russia's work in Venezuela. The Yanomami are a unique culture that should be respected like an important bit of world heritage. I'll research to find more on this. Thanks for sharing the info.
This girls where so brave and I’m sorry that is happen to this girls
They really were very brave, and very clever, as well. The good thing I guess is that their story was at least shared, so it doesn't become a distant memory.
I watched the movie in primary school, stuck with me for life it did
It's a brilliantly made film, but so hard to watch. One of those I've seen but I'm not sure when I could watch it again without crying.
It's awful that Gracie didn't keep going with her cousins. 😟 I wonder if the woman was lying about her mother being there and was just telling her to wait while she got the cops.
I'm not sure - her mother really had gone to Wiluna, so the woman probably was telling the truth, but probably didn't know her exact whereabouts.
There is a 2002 movie called "Rabbit-Proof Fence" starring British actor Kenneth Branagh❤️ Riveting👍🏾👍🏾
Thank you for shedding light on this atrocity and showing how brave and resilient these young girls were. I had never heard of this or these girls, though I am not from Australia, but it so heartbreaking. 😭
It's the same tragic story here in the 'States and Canada too. And believe it or not there are those who defend the abuse of the Natives and still seek to interfere with their rights and continue to attempt to deprive them of what land they have left. Anyway, thanks, and nice graphics!
It's horrific that anyone tries to defend such terrible acts - you do get a small minority in Australia as well, from what I read, but thankfully they are shunned by everyone else. I will definitely cover more of the same stories in the US and Canada in the future.
@@HistorysForgottenPeople As recently as just a few years ago our President Trump and his minions were separating very young children from their mothers (seeking asylum!) and sending them God only knows where. Records were not properly kept and hundreds of those children have never been reunited with their families. In my view Trump and his cronies belong behind bars.
The girls were mercilessly bullied by full blood children for some time. Word was sent to the protector to come get them. Then it was decided they were doing ok and being accepted but either police ignored this or were never told. Police gained extra payments for each child taken. When the girls walked back, they were helped by many station holders with directions, food and shelter. Still a remarkable journey. Unfortunately many people's whole understanding of Indigenous Culture and The Stolen Generation comes from the inaccurate movie. Thank you for making this video, which is far more in line with the actual story in the book, rather than the movie. Pretty sure the clothing depicted is in no way a reflection of how any of the characters dressed.😊
I remember reading this book in the 6th grade and crying so much.
I don't know who narrates these videos but the voice is very similar to Lucy Worsley. It is very pleasant and excellent for imparting knowledge.
The narrator would be me (my name's Miranda Stork in person 😊). It's so funny how many people have said that about my voice, but she's from a totally different part of the UK to me, it's so weird! I'm very flattered by the comparison, but I wonder how Lucy Worsley would feel about it, haha!
My mother in law was one of the stolen generation she passed away and I just herd her story through family SHAME ON AUSTRALIA 🇦🇺
Awwww God Bless her soul. I hoped that she had found peace while she was alive. Its evil what they did. I'm American I have high regard and respect for The Australian Aboriginal People. God Bless of all of you.
There is a 2002 movie called “Rabbit Proof Fence” about these sisters.
There is! I have a link to it in the description for anyone interested. 😊
This story would make a marvelous movie.
They made one! I have a link in my description. 😊
It is an excellent movie notable for having used Aboriginal children with no prior acting experience.
@@MaternalUnit I didn't know they had no prior acting experience! They did a wonderful job.
Folks you do realise the movie is vastly different from the actual book. The story line is created by the movie director and not a true following of the actual events. Read the book
I would agree with this - I used the book, and didn't watch the film until after I'd made this video.
This sounds a lot like modern day slavery.Families separated from each other, sent away and having to escape to get back home.
You're right, there's some very striking similarities. The idea of separating families for any reason whatsoever is always questionable, but even more so when they get partitioned off in some form.
There are a few inaccuracies in this podcast Mogumber, where the Moore River Mission is was not green and lush. It is today as it always was a mixture of shrubs and dry woodland with very sandy soils and a hot climate in summer and icy cold in winter. Jiggalong where the girls came from was nowhere near Marble Bar and way further to the south of the Ruddel River National Park. I know this because I been there.
It's true, Marble Bar is not close to Jiggalong, I'm not sure that I said this in the video? I could be wrong. My main source for this video was the book written by Molly Craig's daughter, Doris Pilkington Garimara, and I'm sure she did as much research as possible to ascertain the route the girls took.
@@HistorysForgottenPeople 11:26
But I haven't said Jiggalong was close to Marble Bar, when the girls got close to Marble Bar that particular incident happened - they still had a long way to go! I did a quick Google maps (I know it's not always very accurate) and it reckons it would be 63 hours walking between Marble Bar and Jiggalong, and that's without stopping! It's crazy how far they walked.
@@HistorysForgottenPeople The girls went into Jigalong from Balfour Downs. They would have followed what was called the Talliwana Track, it is now the Jigalong Ethel Creek Rd. I have been there. From Moore River to Newman then in from Capricorn Roadhouse to Balfour Downs and on to Windy Corner and Jigalong. It is a bloody long way 1240 km, 780 miles but going all the way North to Marble Bar and then back down well that's a stretch and as they met people on the way there is no way they would have. But you can believe what you like, I know the truth about that country and Molly was smart and intuitive as ever a picaninny could be. Marble Bar is way off, you might as well say they first went to Margaret River in the other direction. It's another 600 km, 350 miles there and back from Balfour Downs.
I do apologise, I've just checked my transcript, and I meant to say that the two men were FROM Marble Bar, not that they were near Marble Bar. Thank you for pointing it out to me, I will take that sentence out of the video and make a note of it in the description. I'm sorry, I do make errors sometimes, and I should have checked it last night (but it was late here and I have a 5-year-old who wouldn't sleep). Apologies again.
This is pure BS what Australia's government did to these poor children..I'm in the states..and this really hits my heart..I'm indigenous Native American..I'm half Cherokee and this reminds me of native American removal..and those blasted native schools.. people are such buttholes at times .and Nevil sounds not only an early supporter of eugenics and no different than Andrew Jackson,and how dare those awful nosey neighbors lying to the authorities on them..I can certainly understand and see a common parallel between their stories and my own people's plight in the states..
God bless these beautiful and courageous children... Australia was founded by criminals and it certainly was criminal what happened to these children and others like them..and I know it was the govt and not the people.the same govt over Australia also oppressed my Irish and native American relatives..so I can empathize yet I'd do so even if I didn't have a similarity with our histories.
I agree that for me personally, I could understand how a horrific person like Nevill managed to get the position he had, but the ordinary people who gave information on them are harder to understand. I get that people would be concerned about the girls, but then why not give them a lift to the next safe spot or something? At least give them plenty of supplies and keep quiet. But people often believe those in authority even when it goes against better instincts, so there could be something in that, too.
@@HistorysForgottenPeople I understand completely and agree with you but there also could have been a very good reason why locals did the bare minimum..might've been poverty or lack of a car or there could have been renegade regulations not unlike the states..you have to remember sadly the indigenous schools idea came from a butthole in the us army it spread to Canada and the Brits most likely got the idea from Canada and Canada got their indigenous schools and laws idea sadly from the same folks oppressing my people's here .but renegade laws were meant for say native Americans leaving the fort's to go back to their lands but it was illegal for them to leave the reservation and the schools and sadly if you got caught helping anyone leaving the reservation and or schools you can face prison or have your property taken and heavy fines..so Nevil most certainly got his ideas not just from horrible eugenics but sadly Canada being crazy enough to listen to the idiot that started indian schools in the first place and most likely was inspired by Canadian first nations depts being sadly inspired by the losers doing the same stinking thing to our indigenous..and he most likely was inspired by the awful renegade laws that were used for deemed criminals but enforced them on aboriginal folks and the punishment if your caught helping them..in my country a child had to say they were Mexican or something just to stay with their families it was as late as 1970 when a native American could be removed from their families and sent to those awful schools .and it breaks my heart my own country did this to generations of native American yet also very well could've inspired a creep like that Nevil fellow
I think the same fear and xenophobia and stupidity the ordinary people had about these kids are the same types that would call indian affairs on a poor family and have their children sent to a native schools. The movie and book the education of little tree really does a good job explaining this and it's set in the 1930s as well so you might see the similarities and from a history standpoint the book and movie does a good job
@Lola Thanks, I'll take a look at that. And you're absolutely right, it was a mixture of all those things, and there are definite parallels in the US and Canada, as well.
@Lola Thank you so much! You're an absolute wealth of information, and I never knew a lot of that (such as the military tactics, but it makes sense). I must admit that I have wanted to do something on Native American history, but I obviously always want as unbiased evidence as possible, so it's tricky to know where to start as most history up to probably the very late 20th century was mostly written up by white male historians coming at it from a different angle. And I'm saying that as a white British person, so it's not history I was brought up with, and therefore I feel I've got a lot of researching to do first! While it's not the same, a huge amount of my family were/are from Northern Ireland, so when they came over to the north of England in the past two centuries, they faced the prejudice from local people, and that lasted for a long time in the town they moved to. Ironically, when the Irish community were more integrated (still poor, and living in terraced houses), they were part of the population who then in turn showed prejudice to the Pakistani and Indian families who moved in during the 50s and 60s. My own parents were racist about various groups, and as an adult I can never wrap my head around why anyone would care about someone being different to them. It's completely alien to me.
I'll definitely pick those DVDs up, they sound like a great place to start with my research. 😊
I dont know bout this story but it makes my heart in pain just by watching this and i cant help but cry😢
The Aboriginal nation is an ancient ancient civilisation. Unfortunately at some point the 100% pure bloodline will cease. But let it be for love, and not a deliberate breeding out programme.
I'm at the stage where I'll dilute mine with my Cantonese partner! Out of love!
@@dingobonza Good on ya Dingo. I hope you both will be very happy.
They were never a nation.
Aussie movie now
It is - the movie is brilliant! I have a link to it in my description for anyone interested. 🙂
Sadly Australians have again turned their backs on our First Nation kin, by refusing them a voice in their own affairs. Like the policies of the Stolen Generations, many who voted No did not do so out of malice or ill will, but from the same view that Aboriginal Australians do not know what is best for themselves and they do not need self determination in their own affairs.
Wow what a great story! So sad what happened to these kids😢
It really is - but it's also an inspiring one as well, I think.
Nothing that I learn about how purely evil history is surprises me anymore
I do understand what you mean; there's an awful lot of history that is very uncomfortable to learn about. But, there's always a counterbalance, and there's always extraordinary kindness and humanity at times, as well.
@@HistorysForgottenPeople True
SO EVIL taking babies away!
🖤💛❤️proud and deadly... always was and always will be ABORIGINAL LAND 🖤💛❤️
❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🖤♥️
Neville the devil INDEED! what a terrible man! I am crying! 😿
He certainly was, and even worse is that he was seen as a respected man in his own circles. I hadn't heard of any of this previously either - it was a subscriber who told me of it, so it's good that nowadays the truth can come out.
Black children are not loud to run because there owned by state government lawy this system put in place to take black children.
With all due respect history is amazing.
Why do we have to keep resurfacing? What happened to these kids were horrible but we R changing all that, so why r we living in the past just asking..???
I'm not sure how looking at history and analysing it is living in the past? I think there are many reasons it's important to make these stories resurface. The first is one that's often said - those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. I can promise you, after many years of studying different eras of history, that is absolutely true. It's crazy how many times humans repeat the same errors because they 'don't want to live in the past' or simply because they ignore the lessons of the past. You'd be surprised how forgetful humanity seems.
The second is a matter of respect - what these girls did deserves to be remembered, and celebrated, because it was an achievement for both themselves and those who were/are treated as second-class citizens. And how far back do we 'not live in the past'? Are we allowed to talk about events from 30 years ago? 20? 10? What's the difference? If it's a matter of feeling uncomfortable, that's not a good enough reason to not talk about history that needs remembering, in my humble opinion. It's fantastic that everything is changing for the better, but talking about the past doesn't change that, or make it less valid, it only enhances it.
@@HistorysForgottenPeople and you sure are entitled to your opinion as I am mine how do you know I wasn’t one of those girls reincarnated… I love history.. I am just saying in a positive way the future is much brighter than what these girls had to go through in the past and in the world today a lot of positivity is very much needed… But seriously that’s the beauty of being free is you’re entitled to your own opinions and everybody’s got one and that’s OK much love 🫶🏼👁️❤️👁️
There’s still survivors of the stolen generation still alive today who suffer from trauma and their families suffer with generational trauma. The past isn’t in the past either when Aboriginal kids are still being taken until this day.
@@staciwhatleyprice5948also why can’t we talk about the past atrocities that still affect Aboriginal Australians today and for future generations to come. The past needs to be acknowledged and needs to be talked about more often especially when it comes to Aboriginal history since everyone likes to sweep that past under the rug and forget about it.
@@staciwhatleyprice5948do you not realise the descendants of the Stolen Generation have also been impacted? Really?
The movie is a lie, read the book!
The movie is very different - I didn't actually watch it until after I made this video, I read the book first. It is a fantastic book.
*WICKED* 🙏🏾🤎
Glad you liked it! ☺
Heartbreaking and motivating at the same time. 🥹💔