Published: 30 May 2023
Publisher: University of Queensland Press
Pages: 192
Format: Paperback
Genre: Novella
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars
A Stolen Generations story of astounding courage: three Aboriginal girls, taken from their mothers, escape barefoot back to their beloved homeland in East Pilbara.
This is the true account of Nugi Garimara’s mother, Molly, made legendary by the film Rabbit-Proof Fence.
In 1931 Molly led her two sisters on an extraordinary 1600-kilometre walk across remote Western Australia. Aged eight, eleven, and fourteen, they escaped the confinement of a government institution for Aboriginal children removed from their families. Barefoot, without provisions or maps, tracked by Native Police and search planes, the girls followed the rabbit-proof fence, knowing it would lead them home.
Their journey – longer than many of the celebrated treks of recognised explorers – reveals a past more cruel than we could ever imagine.
Based on a true story this is a personal account of the journey Doris’ mother and relatives took to return home after escaping confinement as part of Australia’s Stolen Generations practices.
I was surprised to find this book was only published in the 90s. For some reason I thought it was a long classic from the 60s that had been turned into a film later on. But the movie on which it was based came out not long after this was published.
The Wikipedia page has interesting history on how Doris found out about the story and it documents the stages this story went through – from original draft in the 80s until a reworking to what we know today. It is also surprisingly different from the movie which was my first introduction.
It still contains the harsh realities of what the children and families in these Aboriginal communities endured, but there are also differences from the movie – less abduction more informed intent and little chance to fight back against government regulations.
The included letters and telegrams show that no one followed orders or the rules and had their own interests – surprise surprise. That hurt to read because of how avoidable it all could have been, at least for this family.
There is also the blatant reminder about how abhorrent this actually was and for how many decades this went on. This is a book everyone should read, it’s a short book but important because while it is a little fractured, a mixture of story elements and explanations from transcriptions, it flows well and tells the story.
You can purchase Follow the Rabbit Proof Fence via the following
Wordery | Blackwell’s | Angus & Robertson
Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible
An empowering rejection of gender stereotypes, this book unpacks the unconscious biases that hold us back from true equality.
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