Tasks: Rabbit-Proof Fence

1. What are the girls and mothers doing at the beginning of the film? What does this tell us about their culture and their way of life?

2. Molly, Daisy, and Gracie are so-called half-caste. What is a half-caste?

3. Why does Molly’s mother tell the children to hide when she sees the policemen?

4. What is your impression of Mr. Neville? What kind of authority does he have?

5. Why are Aboriginal children sent to the Moore River settlement?

6. What are some of the rules at Moore River that the children must follow?

7. What did Neville believe would happen to ‘mixed-blood’ and ‘full-blood’ Aboriginal people once his plan was implemented?

8. Why do you think Moodoo works as a tracker? What does he think about Molly, Gracie, and Daisy? Is he really unable to catch them?

9. What do Molly and Daisy do when they reach Jigalong? What happens to them later in life? What happened to Gracie?

10. Neville states at the end of the film: “We face an up-hill battle with these people, especially the bush natives, who have to be protected against themselves. If they would only understand what we are trying to do for them? ” What do you think he means by that?

Drag the words into the correct boxes

Work in groups. Divide the topics between the groups and find more information. Then make a presentation for the class. Instead of a power point, you could also use a poster to present your main ideas.

1. the history of Australian Aboriginals

2. Australian Aboriginal music, art, and religion

3. Australian Aboriginal languages

4. Australian Aboriginals' struggle for rights and freedoms

5. the current social challenges facing Australian Aboriginals

Work in groups of 3–4 students.

You are going to make a podcast episode about the Stolen Generations. You want to discuss the reasons for the introduction of the Aborigines Acts (1905) and the consequences of this policy, both on a personal and a national level. You have invited some of the characters from the film to your podcast. One student will be the podcast host while the others will choose one of the following characters:

• Molly

• Gracie

• Molly’s mother

• Mr. Neville

• Moodoo

Before you start making the podcast, you should read up on Aborigines Act of 1905 and the consequences of the act. You may want to use some of the information from the following sources:

• Explainer: the Stolen Generations

• Impacts of Law Post 1905

• The Control of Aboriginal People: 1905 Aborigines Act

Choose one of the following characters:

• Molly

• Gracie

• Molly’s mother

• Mr. Neville

• Moodoo

You have been asked to tell your side of the story to a newspaper about the abduction and escape from Moore River. Write a personal text where you describe the events that took place. Make sure to include your personal feelings of fear, joy, sadness, frustration …