Original subtitles

This is a true story

of my sister Daisy and my cousin Gracie and me

when we were little.

Our people, the Jigalong mob,

we were desert people then, walking all over our land.

My mum told me

about how the white people came to our country.

They made a storehouse here at Jigalong.

Brought clothes and other things: flour, tobacco, tea.

Gave them to us on ration day.

We came there, made a camp nearby.

They were building a long fence.

My dad was a white man working on that fence.

The white people called me a half-caste.

See that bird? That's the Spirit Bird.

He will always look after you.

Hey, granddaughter, watch where you run.

You kids will destroy the tracks.

He's here somewhere.

Keep looking. Maybe over there.

Here they are. Look.

He's going this way. See the tracks?

Here, here. ln the tree.

Watch out for his claws.

Good hunters in this family.

You're growing up fast, Molly.

That's them.

Molly's the big one. The little one's her sister Daisy.

The middle one's their cousin, Gracie.

- What about the fathers? - Moved on.

- l catch 'em goanna. - Molly got goanna!

Bring it here.

Fat one!

Molly, hide those kids. Police looking for half-castes.

Next batch. Nothing out of the ordinary.

There's two applications for section 63 exemptions.

The police reports are there.

William Harris is applying for

permission to marry - she's half-caste also.

And Mary Wilson is applying for permission

to visit her child at Moore River.

She's quite agitated.

Oh, and Gladys Phillips has written

for permission to buy some new shoes.

She had a new pair a year ago.

This report from Constable Riggs

about the three little half-caste girls

at the Jigalong Fence Depot - Molly, Gracie and Daisy.

The youngest is of particular concern.

She's promised to a full-blood.

l'm authorising their removal.

They're to be taken to Moore River as soon as possible.

Oh, and Miss Thomas - if you could check

that the rate for police transportation

is still, l believe, eight pence per mile.

- Yes, Mr Neville. - Thank you.

That country over there, that's woman country.

You can't go there. You get big trouble.

Yeah, l know.

- Where your country? - My country?

Down south. Long way from here.

Our dad works there on the rabbit fence.

Yeah?

How far does rabbit fence go to?

The rabbit-proof fence?

lt goes all the way to the sea down that way.

Right to the top of Australia.

Longest fence in the world.

And all the way to the sea down that way.

1 ,500 miles long.

Keeps the rabbits on that side of the fence,

keeps the farmland on this side of the fence.

That Molly's getting to be a big girl.

Mr Neville's been writing to me about those girls, you know?

Tell that Mr Devil Molly not going.

She get married.

You tell that Mr Devil, he want half-caste kid,

he make his own.

Frankie.

Come on, it's your turn.

Come and get your rations.

Hurry up.

Run!

Gracie, come here!

l've come for the girls.

Can't have 'em in a black fellas' camp.

- My kids! Mine! - lt's the law, Maude.

- You've got no say in it. - No! Mine!

Mr Neville's orders.

Move one inch and l'll lock your mother up!

He's their legal guardian.

Get away from us! No!

Gracie!

Give me back my kids!

You sit up and you stay!

- l got the papers, Maude.! - Don't take them!

You got no say in it!

Come along.

Just get in the back!

The three of youse, don't move.

There's nothing you can do here, old girl.

- Nothing you can do. - Leave them!

Leave them!

Every Aborigine born in this state

comes under my control.

Notice, if you will, the half-caste child -

and there are ever-increasing numbers of them.

Now, what is to happen to them?

Are we to allow the creation of an unwanted third race?

Should the coloureds be encouraged to go back to black

or should they be advanced to white status

and be absorbed in the white population?

Now, time and again l'm asked by some white man,

''lf l marry this coloured person,

will our children be black?

As Chief Protector of Aborigines it is my responsibility

to accept or reject those marriages.

Here... is the answer.

Three generations.

Half-blood grandmother,

quadroon daughter, octoroon grandson.

As you can see, in the third generation, or third cross,

no trace of native origin is apparent.

The continuing infiltration of white blood

finally stamps out the black colour.

The Aboriginal has simply been...

bred out.

Now...

we come to...

the Moore River Native Settlement.

Most of you are familiar with our work here,

the training of servants and farm labourers.

l would like to thank you for your continuing support.

Hundreds of half-caste children have been gathered up

and brought here to be given the benefit

of everything our culture has to offer.

For if we are to fit and train such children for the future

they cannot be left as they are,

and, in spite of himself, the native must be helped.

Hello there.

A ghost!

You poor dears.

lt's such a long way. You must be exhausted.

Come along. l'll take you straight to the dormitory.

Quickly. lt's all right.

Come on. Down you hop.

Come along.

Follow me. Come along.

Follow me, please.

That's the way.

Come along.

There's some beds there. The bucket's in the corner.

Hurry up.

Back to sleep, the rest of you. No talking.

Get up! All of youse! Make your beds.

Hurry up.

Karen, Cheryl, stop running around.

Get them blankets tidy.

What's your name? Where you from?

You'll get used to it.

Tracker girl, get that bucket. Take it out now!

What are you standing there dreaming about? Hurry up!

Move!

Get out to breakfast now. Come on.

Get going, all of you.

Come on. You coming?

Thank you, children. Ready for our prayers.

Bow your heads. Eyes closed.

Thank you for the food we eat.

Thank you for the world so sweet.

Thank you for the birds that sing.

Thank you, God, for everything.

There will be no talking.

We'll have no wangka here.

You talk English!

Now, eat!

Eat, or l'll hold your nose and force it down you!

Here.

Keep still. We've got to scrub you.

Let me see.

Doesn't that feel better?

- Yes, Miss Jessop. - Yes, Miss Jessop.

- Thank you, Miss Jessop. - Thank you, Miss Jessop.

That feels much better.

Here.

Take it.

Put these on.

Come on. Get dressed.

New clothes.

This is your new home. We don't use that jabba here.

You speak English.

# Way down upon the Swanee River

# Far, far away

# There's where my heart is turning ever

# There's where the old folks stay

What are they doing?

Singing Mr Debil's favourite song.

- Who's that? - On the end, on that chair.

# Still longing for the old plantation

# And for the old folks at home

Very good.

Well done.

The following children will come forward. Tommy Grant.

This way, Tommy.

Come on. Stand up straight.

Whoa. Whoa, boy.

- What they doing now? - Checking for the fair ones.

- Why? - To take them to Sister Kate's.

They're more clever than us. They can go to proper school.

Thank you. No.

Good boy.

Molly Craig.

That you.

- Molly Craig! - Go on, get up.

Hurry up. They'll whip you.

Molly. Come on, dear.

Get up. Quick.

- Come on, young lady. - They'll put you in the boob.

- Just Molly, please. - Where you going? Come back.

- Sit down. - Hurry up.

Come along.

lt's all right.

That's the way.

Don't be afraid.

Come along.

- l'm not going to hurt you. - See?

Bit further.

That's it.

lt's Molly, isn't it?

l know it all feels very strange,

but after a few days you'll feel quite at home.

We're here to help and encourage you in this new world.

Duty, service, responsibility -

those are our watchwords.

- Molly, keep still. - lt's all right.

No.

Sweep it over here.

To the door.

Come on, this way.

Push it towards me.

Hey, tracker girl.

Your dad's bringing Olive back. He catched her.

Thank you, Moodoo.

There now, young lady.

Did you really think you'd get away with it?

Now, stop that crying. See what Miss Doyle has here?

Olive, look at me. You see this here? The scissors?

Did she run away home?

She ran away to see her boyfriend.

You should have thought about this beforehand. Come on.

We'll see if those boys find you so attractive now.

ln you go.

Broke out through here. Usual story.

Off to see her boyfriend.

- The tracker brought her back. - Yes, Moodoo.

Mr Neal tells me that your probation period is up

and that you wish to return to the Kimberleys. ls that right?

Of course your daughter is here, isn't she?

There would be no question of her going.

She would have to stay here and continue her training.

l think for the time being it would be best for all concerned

if you were to remain here, Moodoo.

l'd be prepared to consider your case in a year or so, but...

until then...

Those babies. Where are their mothers?

They got no mothers.

Nobody here got any mothers.

l got mother.

Come on, they're lining up. Let's go.

Bad place.

Make me sick.

These people...

Sick.

Make me sick.

Come on, make your beds.

Nice and tidy.

lf you've already done it, get to the church now.

Hurry up.

Stop dawdling.

Molly, take the bucket out,

then the three of you go to the church.

Come on, you kids, get up there! You're late.

Hurry up.

Come on. Get your things. We're going.

- Where are we going? - Home. To mother.

How we gonna get there?

Walk.

We're not going. Are we, Daisy? We like it here.

That tracker, he's going to put us in that boob.

He's not going to put us in the boob.

We just keep walking. The rain will cover our tracks.

We've got to go now.

Come on. Quick.

Come on.

Come on, Gracie. Now.

- Too far, Molly. - Hurry up!

# He made their tiny wings

# All things bright and beautiful

# All creatures great and small

Come on. Let's go!

- lrene Clark. - Here.

- Ellie Moodoo. - Here.

Molly Craig.

Molly Craig.

Molly Craig.

Gracie Fields.

Daisy Kadibil.

Nina, have you seen the new girls?

Haven't seen them all day, miss.

Mister! Mr Neville said you'd better come real quick.

That's two days ago, Mr Neal.

Yes, l understand, but l require to be kept fully informed.

Thank you. Goodbye.

Those three girls. They've run off.

- Oh, dear. - l blame the older one.

l wondered when l saw her.

Too much of their mind... unfathomable.

The tracker's onto it. lt must be kept out of the papers.

- No rain. Tracker'll get us. - Tracker's not gonna get us!

Come on.

We've got to keep going. Come on, Gracie.

Daisy, give me your bag.

Give us your bag, quick.

Give us it!

Hurry up. ln the water! We need to go fast.

l see...

l see... the kangaroo. Red rock.

No.

l don't see nothing. There's no food here.

- l see... - You don't know this place.

How we gonna eat?

Run!

Quick, hide. Come on.

Ask them, Molly. Ask them if they have something to eat.

You're from that Moore River place, eh?

We're going home.

Where your country?

- Jigalong. - Jigalong?

Proper long way.

You know what you're doing?

That tracker from Moore River.

Him really good.

l heard he get them runaways all the time.

Gotta be good to beat him.

Take you back to that place. Here.

You watch out for him, eh?

You think you're so smart...

Where are we?

We're lost.

Jigalong that way. North.

Tracker followed them to... this riverbank,

but lost their tracks about a week ago.

There's been no sign of them since.

Three little half-castes.

We're talking quite a few man-hours.

Who's going to pay?

There's very little in my budget.

lf your men can combine this with their regular duties...

We'll be able to handle the notifications.

- Post police stations, farms. - We'll provide a description.

But if my men have to make trips outside of their duties

it'll be an impost on your department.

lf they are out on other jobs there would be no extra expense.

l can see that.

And it is the job of every one of your men as local Protectors.

My men will do their jobs, Mr Neville.

- Now, a week ago, you said. - Yes.

Hey, Maude. The girls have gone.

What'd you say?

They've run away from Moore River. They're gone.

Everybody's looking for 'em.

And what do you think you might be up to?

Thieving my eggs, eh?

You come out here where l can see you. Come on.

Stand up. Out you come.

And get rid of that bread. lt's filthy.

You want something to eat, you ask for it.

Come on. l'm not going to bite you.

You're on your own?

Got anyone with you?

Where you girls planning on going?

Cat got your tongue, eh?

Now get. Go on.

And watch out for those boys further along.

They go out hunting rabbits along the fence.

- That rabbit-proof fence? - Yes, the rabbit-proof fence.

- Where that rabbit fence? - East.

Which way now?

That way. That fence.

Find that rabbit fence, we go home.

Then we see our mum.

''The Chief Protector of Aborigines, Mr AO Neville...

The devil!

..is concerned about three native girls,

ranging from eight to fourteen years of age, who a month ago

ran away from the Moore River Native Settlement.''

''He would be grateful if any person who saw them

would notify him...

promptly.

'''We have been searching high and low for the children

for a month past,' added Mr Neville,

Devil!

'and all the trace we found of them was a dead rabbit.'''

lt's the fence! Down there!

The latest sighting, which is four days old, puts them...

- The man from the newspaper. - l have nothing more to say.

May l have a look?

Now, Albany, yes?

Gilwarra. Yalgoo...

Dalwallinu...

Gilwarra, Yalgoo.

Dalwallinu, Gilwarra, Yalgoo.

They're on the fence.

They're following the rabbit-proof fence.

Right!

Just because a people use Neolithic tools

does not mean they have Neolithic minds.

This makes our task very much easier. Look.

There's a branch off here to the west, north of Yalgoo.

You put your man out here on the fence north of this junction.

He can start to come down it to meet them,

while our Moodoo comes up from the south behind them.

You can't miss them.

Where Daisy?

Wait here.

My legs, Molly.

They hurt. l can't walk.

l'm carrying you only once, all right?

Come on.

Come on...

Don't think l'm carrying you all the way.

Camp, Molly!

Company.

Where you girls headed?

Down to Mullewa?

You got family there?

- Where Mullewa? - Mullewa?

West.

The way you're headed, along the number two fence.

They got two rabbit-proof fence?

My oath. They got three of 'em.

We're on the wrong fence.

Where that north fence?

North fence? Back that way - where you come from.

You can cut across.

l'll show you. Number one rabbit fence.

Here's the number two fence.

Now you're here.

But you wanna be here.

Now, if you cut across here...

you save yourself a hundred mile or so.

lt's not hard.

l'm going back.

l don't have the petrol.

Over here.

And we're hungry.

Youse that lot from Moore River?

What, you girls walk all that way?

800 miles?

l was there.

Too scared to run away, but...

Everyone was always caught, stuck in that boob.

Youse got the furtherest. Where you heading?

- Home. - Mavis!

Stay here. l'll come back and get you.

You can sleep with me tonight. l'll get you some food.

Just getting the washing, Mrs Evans!

What's that?

Someone coming.

Quick, in the bed. Under the blankets.

What are you playing at, Mavis?

Go away.

Come on, quick. Get up. Come on.

Don't go, Molly.

Please don't go.

He come back if you go.

Don't go.

He won't say anything.

Please.

Hello, Evans.

Hello.

Quick, wake up! Wake up! Got to go.

Let's have a look.

Run that way and just keep going.

They were running out over there. About an hour or so ago.

We'll pick up the tracks in the morning.

l'll make a cup of tea.

That's the tracker.

Yeah, that's him.

Hop on.

l do not expect you to understand

what l am trying to do for these people,

but l will not have my plans put into jeopardy.

The problem of half-castes is not simply going to go away.

lf not dealt with now, it will fester for years to come.

These children are that problem.

Please explain exactly what happened.

l don't know how they did it, but we lost them.

l had Larsen out there, Moodoo was with him -

and we lost them.

- They're making fools of us. - They are indeed.

The cost is more than to just our pride.

This department's reputation is beginning to suffer.

l assure you, my men have better things to do

than chase your charges all around the country.

Now... they're coming into very rough terrain.

Once they're much past Meekatharra

l can't risk any of my men.

We must find them before they get into real desert country.

So, this is what we're going to do.

You get your man up there. Moodoo can join him.

Well up the fence, around here.

Far enough up so we know we cannot possibly miss them.

And l want them to stay there.

They can set up camp and wait.

Costly.

We'll just have to bear it.

Their lives may be at stake.

l understand the mother of one of the girls has gone to Wiluna.

They're headed into that country. l want the word spread.

Let's see what that does.

You wouldn't get me out there.

She's pretty clever, that girl.

She wants to go home.

Good thing you kids ran into me.

Lot of people worried for you.

Police up and down the country looking for youse.

lt's in all the papers.

Which one of you is Gracie?

You Gracie?

l hear your mummy in Wiluna.

You can catch a train there from Meeka.

Come on. Let's go.

- Wiluna. She at Wiluna? - Yes.

Come on, Gracie.

Don't listen to him. He's a liar.

Maybe she's there, Molly. Maybe he telling the truth.

Molly.

Let's go to Meeka. Catch a train to Wiluna.

They see us, they'll catch us.

We can't stop now. Got to keep going.

We're nearly there.

But Molly... mummy there.

She at Wiluna. l want mummy.

Come on.

Come on, Daisy.

Come on, Daisy.

You have to carry me, Molly.

Hop on.

She's not coming.

Don't look back. She'll come.

Higher.

You got 'em?

Three. One for you, one for me...

And one for both of us.

Come on, Dais. We're going to wait for Gracie.

Go!

l've got her.

l want to get the train to mummy!

Can you see him?

Oi! Trevor!

Thanks, Jackie. You'll get your reward back at the station.

Taking you back where you belong.

She gone, Molly. She not coming back.

Needle in a haystack.

That's it.

Pack your stuff! We're getting out of here.

They're only paying us for three weeks.

To Constable Riggs, police station, Nullagine.

The two missing half-caste girls Molly and Daisy

are returning to Jigalong via the rabbit-proof fence,

our efforts to apprehend them thus far having come to naught.

l therefore expect them to arrive in Jigalong

in about a month's time.

ln your capacity as local Protector

you are to proceed to Jigalong to await their arrival

and effect their recapture.

Yours, etc.

No fence.

l want mother.

That fence'll come back.

Home.

lt's coming through now.

''Riggs arrived Jigalong.''

''Awaits your instructions.''

Yes, there will be a reply. Please wait.

''Girls to be send south via Meekathara.''

''To be accompanied at all times.''

''Awaiting notification.''

What's all that about?

Just some women's business.

Been going on all day.

Hey, Molly?

That tracker. He not gonna get us now.

No, he not gonna get us.

l'm not going to stay here. l can feel it.

They're up to something.

l'm going to take a look.

l lost one.

l lost one.

To Constable Riggs, police station, Nullagine.

At present we lack the funds

to pursue the missing half-caste girls Molly and Daisy.

l would ask to be kept informed of their whereabouts

so that at some future date they may indeed be... recovered.

We face an uphill battle with these people -

especially the bush natives,

who have to be protected against themselves.

lf they would only understand

what we are trying to do for them.

Tsk! Yours, etc.

Thank you.

We walked for nine weeks,

a long way, all the way home.

Then we went straight away and hid in the desert.

Got married. I had two baby girls.

Then they took me and my kids back to that Moore River place.

And I walked all the way back to Jigalong again,

carrying Annabella, the little one.

When she was three, that Mr Neville took her away.

I've never seen her again.

Gracie is dead now.

She never made it back to Jigalong.

Daisy and me, we're here,

living in our own country, Jigalong.

We're never going back to that place.