A STUDY GUIDE BY ANNE CHESHER
http://www.metromagazine.com.au
ISBN: 978-1-74295-519-3
http://www.theeducationshop.com.au
First Contact is a 3 x 52 minute documentary series for SBS
television filmed on the lands of the Gadigal, Pitjantjatjara,
Yolngu, Gandangarra, Arrernte, Ngarluma, Kurrama,
Bunuba, Gooniyandi, Walmajarri and Wangkatjungka
People.
RELEVANT SUBJECT AREAS
English
Humanities (History, Geography,
Studies of Society, Civics and Citizenship)
The Arts
Business and Economics
Legal Studies
Media Studies
INTRODUCTION
More than six out of ten who call Australia home have had
little or no contact with Aboriginal people. The chasm and
disconnect between the First Australians and the rest of the
nation is vast. First Contact shines a light on this deep divide
by taking a group of six non Indigenous people, from different
walks of life and with strong and varied opinions, and immersing them into Aboriginal Australia for the first time.
The group will meet face to face with individuals, families
and communities who define Aboriginal Australia today.
The group will experience the workings of Indigenous and
government organisations, private employers and other
institutions that provide vital services to Aboriginal people.
First Contact reveals Aboriginal Australia in all its beauty,
hope, culture, history, tradition and tragedy. The six are
tested in extraordinary situations, their beliefs are confronted, their emotions pushed to the limit 28 days, six outspoken Aussies, one epic journey.
SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014
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CURRICULUM
By examining the world’s oldest continuous living cultures,
First Contact specifically relates to the Australian Curriculum cross-curriculum priority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander histories and cultures* formulated from the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians. Aligning with the Australian Curriculum First Contact
will assist teachers and parents in equipping young Australians with knowledge and understanding to enable them to
engage effectively with our society and to contribute to the
social, intellectual and creative capital of our nation.
First Contact is a vital resource for cross-curriculum priority
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people histories and
cultures as it provides ‘the opportunity for all young Australians to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures, deep knowledge traditions and holistic world views’
(ACARA 2014).
Within the cross-curriculum priorities, the Australian Curriculum identifies a set of Organising Ideas that are embedded in
the content and learning outcomes of each subject learning
area. Organising Ideas for the cross-curriculum priority of
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures*:
OI.1
Australia has two distinct Indigenous groups: Aboriginal Peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples
OI.2
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities
maintain a special connection to and responsibility
for Country/Place throughout all of Australia.
OI.3
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have
unique belief systems and are spiritually connected
to the land, sea, sky and waterways.
Culture
OI.4
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander societies have
many Language Groups
OI.5
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ ways
of life are uniquely expressed through ways of being, knowing, thinking and doing.
OI.6
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have
lived in Australia for tens of thousands of years and
experiences can be viewed through historical, social
and political lenses
SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014
First Contact demonstrates and explains Aboriginal identity
through Country/Place, People and Culture. Embracing
these elements according to the Australian Curriculum, enhances all areas of the curriculum. First Contact is relevant
for teaching and learning about the lives and contemporary
issues facing all Australians. The series is ideal for Secondary students in Years 9-10 and Senior Students in Years
11-12.
Country/Place
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FIRST CONTACT AND CURRICULUM
LEARNING OUTCOMES
English
People
Year 9
OI.7
The broader Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
societies encompass a diversity of nations across
Australia.
Students understand how interpretations can vary by comparing
their responses to texts to the responses of others.
OI.8
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have
sophisticated family and kinship structures.
Year 10
OI.9
Australia acknowledges the significant contributions
of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people locally
and globally.
Students explain different viewpoints, attitudes and perspectives
through the development of cohesive and logical arguments.
History
Year 10
*Note: First Contact focuses solely on Aboriginal Australians whose ancestors are from the mainland Australian
continent. The series does not include Torres Strait Islander
peoples. Where does this wording come from?
Students understand how key beliefs and values have emerged
and how they influenced our society in Australia from 1918 to the
present including social, cultural, economic and political development.
SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014
(ACARA 2014)
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Geography
THEMES
Year 10
First Contact curriculum themes in relation to the crosscurriculum priority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Peoples.
With a focus on citizenship, students study issues with an
emphasis on how people are connected and have impacts
on places and environments around the world, and including human wellbeing at the local, regional and global levels.
Civics and Citizenship
• Connection with the world’s oldest continuous living
culture
• Connection with Country /Place
• Belief systems
Years 7-10
• Culture and language
Students develop their capacities to think, act and solve
problems on the basis of wider community concerns rather
than individual interests through the understanding and
appreciation of our cultural diversity, how it shapes identity
and citizenship, and Australian democracy.
The Arts
Years 7-12
Students develop an appreciation of the codes and conventions within Australian diversity in relation to individual
and social identities through artistic, cultural, historical,
social and language contexts.
• Kinship structures
• Diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander societies
• The significant contributions of Aboriginal and Torres
Strait people on a local, national and global scale
Connection with the world’s oldest
continuous living culture
Australian Aboriginal culture dates back over 60,000 and is
regarded as the world’s oldest continuous living culture. Using
ochre pigment and stone tools Aboriginal people recorded
their culture in the form of rock paintings and carvings of
people and animals. These recordings provide evidence of the
customs and deep traditions representative of the Aboriginal
Dreamtime holistic worldview. In Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory, ancient rock art estimated to be around 7,000
years old portrays the Rainbow Serpent Ancestor Being.
Aboriginal Australian culture continues to be upheld in remote regional areas and in metropolitan cities. The Redfern
area in Sydney is a significant urban ‘meeting place’ for
Aboriginal Australians.
Connection with Country /Place
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have a deep
understanding and connection to the Australian environment. The term country is based on an individual’s sense
of belonging to a particular place. The relationship with this
place is based on traditional ancestral knowledge and practices that has been passed down through the generations.
SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014
Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people connection with country delineates a diverse spiritual relationship with the environment and landscape that has evolved
from an estimated seven hundred indigenous language
groups. Some of these languages are still spoken today.
At Yirripinya School near Alice Springs (see Episode 2) the
students can learn four different Aboriginal languages.
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relationship, individuals have certain roles and responsibilities. Each relationship has its own obligations that reflect
family and cultural values.
Diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander societies
Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander societies
and cultures are diverse.
Belief systems
Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander belief systems
and cultural practices vary from place to place across the nation. This diversity can be attributed to language, regional and
historical variations. However the Dreaming, or Dreamtime,
worldview belief system connects the culture with stories and
mythologies reflecting ancestral spirituality teachings.
Aboriginal Australian belief systems are based on the concept
that the environment and its inhabitants both past and present
are eternal and belong to the Dreamtime. Supreme and powerful beings, plants, animals and humans in Dreamtime stories
are representative of the world in which we live.
Culture and language
Being an oral culture, language is vital to the preservation
of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture.
Language and cultural practices are the means by which
Indigenous Australians preserve and pass on knowledge of
ancestral heritage and history from one generation to the next.
Aboriginal language and culture are intrinsically linked
and identify a person’s country. When Europeans arrived
towards the end of the 1700s, Aboriginal tribal groups or
clans across the country spoke more than 600 different
languages or dialects. Since ‘white’ colonisation hundreds
of Indigenous languages have been lost.
Each language group has its own connection to its own
land and environment. Influenced by location and resources
each Aboriginal group has its own language, knowledge
and cultural practices.
From the tropical regions of northern Australia to the colder
Tasmanian climate, and across the central and western deserts, Aboriginal Australians have evolved their own unique
community. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander diversity is
reflected through language in ceremonial practice, performance, ritual, music, dance, art, values and beliefs.
Significant contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait people on a local, national and global scale
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island People continue to make
significant contributions in all aspects of Australian society. Aboriginal people are represented in most Australian
industries - from political and legal to the worlds of sport
and entertainment.
Aboriginal role models play a big part in inspiring and motivating young Australians.
Some examples of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
People who have achieved recognition for their outstanding contribution to Australia are:
• David Unaipon – Inventor (see our $50 note)
Today, many Aboriginal languages are critically endangered.
• Neville Bonner – Politician and Parliamentarian
Kinship structures
• Albert Namatjira – Artist
• Yvonne Cawley – Tennis champion
• Cathy Freeman – Athlete
• Mandawuy Yunupingu – Musician
Kinship structures have bearing on all aspects of relationships from governance to everyday behaviour. Traditional
elders have a significant role in assuring kinship structures
are sustained rom generation to generation. In each kinship
• Faith Bandler - Political activist
• Mick Dodson – Professor at Law
SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014
Aboriginal kinship structures connect all Indigenous Australians to each other in a specific relationship according to
their clan or kin. Kinship structures bind Aboriginal people
together psychologically and emotionally. Based on respect
and belonging, Aboriginal kinship structures are cohesive
and encourage a sense of identity.
• Eddie Mabo – Political activist
• Adam Goodes – AFL footballer and Australian of
the Year 2014
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HOW FIRST CONTACT CAME
ABOUT
Upon hearing the statistic that six out of ten Australians
have had little to no contact with Indigenous Australians,
Blackfella Films began exploring new ways of interrogating
the relationship between “white and black Australia”. With a
referendum on the question of Aboriginal recognition in the
Constitution on the horizon, there seemed no better time to
examine the extraordinarily complex race relations in this
country.
Cognisant of the risk inherent in broadcasting racist commentary towards Indigenous Australians in a way that
has never been seen before, Blackfella Films consulted
esteemed academic Marcia Langton who supported the
project from its inception and agreed that the time was right
to confront the issue head on.
Community consultation process
Finding the Participants
Finding six non-indigenous participants willing to take
part in an undisclosed journey across Aboriginal Australia
The aim was to cram as much diversity as possible into the
group of six we selected. That meant our casting net was
thrown wide to find men and women of all ages and backgrounds, from cities and regional areas, across all walks of
life. The list included older retiree males from rural Australia,
suburban based stay at home mums, professionals, tradespeople, service workers, students, and first, second or third
generation migrants to name but a few.
Once a candidate expressed their interest, the process
then involved an extended interview as we canvassed their
views towards Aboriginal people. In doing so we compiled
long lists of candidates across the various demographic
categories. Along the way these individual interviews threw
up a range of what became often-repeated opinions that
plenty of non-Indigenous people have when it comes to
Aboriginal Australians. For example on the issue of welfare,
it’s regularly claimed that “Aboriginal people want everything for nothing, and they definitely get more government
handouts than white people.”
Around the question of the national apology, many non-Indigenous people say, “Aboriginal people are always looking
for someone to blame, it happened hundreds of years ago,
they need to get over it and move on”. Plenty of non-Indigenous people also focus on ideas around the authenticity of
an Aboriginal person’s identity, saying things like “the ones
living out in the bush are the true Aboriginals, it’s the half
castes and quarter castes living in the city that cause all the
problems. They’re not real Aboriginals.”
Finally after many months Blackfella Films selected the six
and the journey was filmed.
SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014
Extensive consultation with Indigenous communities is
an integral part of Blackfella Films’ production ethos. The
community consultations were ongoing through development and involved two visits with each community prior to
commencement of filming. Aboriginal community members
were always consulted as to the appropriateness of locations to be filmed. Blackfella Films Indigenous Community
Liaison personnel accompanied the crew whilst filming. Finally, during post-production, the Producer returned to the
Aboriginal communities featured in the series. We screened
rough-cut edits to key people within those communities
and invited their feedback.
involved an exhaustive nation wide search over a considerable time frame. Every conceivable method was employed
in order to generate interest. The key objective was to
attract the right type of people who represented commonly
held views about Aboriginal Australia, and who at the same
time had little or no direct contact with Aboriginal people.
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THE JOURNEY
On their journey the six non Indigenous participants
travel to eight locations around the country.
ULURU, Central Australia
SYDNEY, New South Wales
NYINYIKAY, Far North East Arnhem Land, Northern
Territory
ELCHO ISLAND, East Arnhem Land, Northern Territory
ALICE SPRINGS, Northern Territory
KARRATHA, The Pilbara, Western Australia
PRODUCER’S NOTE
First Contact is one of the most ambitious factual
television series ever attempted in Australia. And so the
opportunity to write and series produce this groundbreaking piece of work came with a great sense of
responsibility and privilege.
Following on from the success Blackfella Films had
with First Australians, which focused largely on a historical narrative, this documentary series needed to be
firmly grounded in the present.
Discovering that six out of ten Australians have had little or
no contact with Indigenous people was a fascinating starting point for a contemporary factual series and the foundation for providing a snap shot of current day attitudes
towards Aboriginal people.
Casting for the series was an exhaustive process and one
that took many months. It was vital to get the right mix
of characters and viewpoints. The journey we then constructed would confront and challenge the six and in turn
provoke debate amongst those who would later watch the
series from the comfort of their living rooms.
Unlike many documentary series, this project is genuinely
unique. Its content means it could only be made in Australia. The culture, history and social issues at play are without
compare anywhere in the world. The plan is for this series
to not only be distinctive within these shores but globally.
At the heart of this was creating the platform for Aboriginal
people to tell their story – To offer a counter intuitive and
revealing view into an unknown world our six participants
knew little about.
FITZROY CROSSING, The Kimberley, Western
Australia
The process of finding Aboriginal people who were willing to take part was a long and detailed process but an
incredibly rewarding one. What was overwhelming was
the instant receptiveness of Aboriginal people to the
concept of First Contact. In almost all cases they were
enormously positive, wanting to share their stories,
ideas and viewpoints.
Securing the services of Ray Martin was a genuine
coup for the show. Ray is such a respected journalist
and figure in Australian television. His personal connection with Aboriginal people and his own heritage
made him the perfect choice. We were lucky that he felt
so strongly about being involved.
The intent is that First Contact should do what all-great
documentaries do and educate, inform and entertain its
audience.
We knew that the series could never make any claim
to be definitive. Instead, First Contact should be a
beginning, a kick-start to discussion. It should spark
and provoke debate, a piece of work that will get people
talking, arguing, and asking questions of themselves, one
another and the country they call home.
Hopefully, it’s a small step down a very long road to an understanding and engagement between two deeply divided
worlds.
SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014
As an exploration of contemporary Aboriginal Australia,
First Contact needed to portray the beauty, history
and culture as well as its dysfunction and trauma. The
challenge then was to bring this extraordinary and
confronting story to the screen.
ROEBOURNE PRISON, The Pilbara, Western Australia
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Episode 1
Synopsis
The journey begins.
The six are brought to the heart of Australia: Uluru. They’ve
been told that they’ll be spending the next four weeks immersed into Aboriginal Australia. But other than that they
know nothing about the journey that lies ahead. Waiting in
the rock’s shadow to greet them is award winning journalist, Ray Martin.
But this adventure does not begin in the Red Centre.
Instead the group will spend the next 24 hours hosted by
Aboriginal families in a place where more Indigenous people live than just about anywhere else in Australia – Sydney.
The only contact Law Enforcement officer Trent has had
with Aboriginal people is out on the frontline in Sydney’s
West. But his negative attitudes are about to be confronted
by hard working Victor Morgan and his family.
As night falls on the first day, one of the six is already wondering if they can go on. For mortgage broker, Sandy, from
SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014
In Redfern, mother of four, Jasmine is also in for a shock.
Living in Logan, Queensland, Jasmine’s family make ends
meet with the help of Government benefits. But she’s
convinced Aboriginal people receive at least four times
more Government benefits than her. Meeting an Aboriginal
mother tests her theory.
9
Newcastle, spending the night with an Aboriginal family is
almost too much to bear.
The second stage of the journey is underway. The group is
about to have their opinions confronted in one of the most
remote parts of Australia – Nyinyikay.
Nyinyikay in far northeast Arnhem Land is four hours drive
from the nearest town. It’s the wet season, so the only way
in or out is by single-engine plane.
Having survived the trip, the six are welcomed by Yolgnu
man Marcus Lacey. They’re instructed to set up camp
beside the crocodile infested waters.
tion student and yoga enthusiast, Alice, has always dreamt
of. However her resolve is tested by the realities of life on
Nyinyikay.
It’s not long before the six clash. Supermarket worker,
Bo-dene, from Melbourne is upset her hosts aren’t the
traditional Aboriginal people she had in mind. As the turtle
is brought to shore to be killed and cooked, emotions reach
boiling point.
The group’s time on Nyinyikay is over. But the six have no
idea of what lies ahead.
With no shop to buy food, the group learns how to live off
the land.
For Marcus, a part time photographer and surfer, this is
a long way from his home in Sydney’s Northern beaches.
Taking to the seas with a harpoon to hunt for turtle isn’t the
experience he was expecting.
Living in a remote Aboriginal community is something nutri-
SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014
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TEACHER NOTES
Ideas and considerations for the classroom pertaining to
Episode 1.
• Watch the scene with in the kitchen with Lavina Phillips,
Jasmine and Bo-dene. Discuss with students the term
Aboriginality in light of Lavina’s explanation.
• Examine Aboriginal identity and belonging in relation to
metropolitan (Redfern) and remote (Nyinykay) lifestyles.
What cultural threads can be recognised?
• Research the community work of Shane Phillips and
Victor Morgan. How are they helping to change the lives
of young people in the Redfern area? How does their
work create brighter opportunities for future generations?
• The group’s experience in Redfern and Nyinykay helps
to dispel some of their preconceived misconceptions and stereotypical beliefs. How have their views
changed?
• Explore the concept of empathy by reflecting on the
group’s engagement with the Aboriginal people they
meet in Redfern and Nyinykay. How has meeting Aboriginal people affected the empathy each of the group
feels for Aboriginal people?
STUDENT TASKS
1. What are civil rights and freedoms? Have Aboriginal
people enjoyed the same rights and freedoms of Indigenous Australians over the past two centuries? Why or
why not? Write a paragraph explaining the Commonwealth Electoral Act of 1949 and the significant right it
granted Indigenous Australians.
2. From the perspective of Jasmine, write an editorial
column for a newspaper de-bunking the misconception
that Aboriginal people receive more welfare payments
than non-Indigenous Australians. Include a description of her beliefs PRIOR to the conversation, and then
AFTER her conversation with Lavina.
3. What are welfare payments? Jasmine and Lavina’s
families receive similar welfare payments. Is it fair that
each family receives the same? Why or why not? Imagine that after this conversation Jasmine wrote an email
to a friend to tell her about it what she had learned from
Lavina. Write the email as if you are Jasmine.
5. Marcus Lacey and other men from Nyinykay Homeland
take Trent and Marcus out into the bush to collect bark.
What did Trent believe about urban Aboriginal people
before this experience? Describe how and why the trip
helped Trent change his preconceived opinions. What
does he believe now?
SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014
4. Jasmine used to think that all Aboriginal people have
‘dark skin’. As the woman are making tea Lavina explains to Jasmine and Bo-dene that Aboriginality is like
‘tea’. Re-write Lavina’s explanation in your own words.
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Episode 2
Synopsis
The six have been told that they’re flying to a place called
Elcho Island where Ray Martin will reveal the next stage of
the immersive journey.
Around 2500 Aboriginal people live on Elcho Island in some
of the most deprived conditions in the western world. The
group learn that some families on the island are cramped
ten, twenty, even thirty to a house.
The six are warmly welcomed into the home of one of the
traditional owners Timmy Galalingu Ganambarr. The group
is immediately taken aback by the poverty and the cramped
conditions. Timmy’s family has been waiting for more than
a decade for a new house.
After experiencing the housing conditions, the group learns
about the employment prospects on Elcho Island - more
than 600 unemployed Aboriginal people with only around
twenty job vacancies.
At the Elcho Island Arts Centre, Sandy’s in for a shock.
Having questioned her hosts’ motivation to improve their
lives, she discovers that Timmy’s sister Margaret Gudumurrkuwuy is an award-winning artist. Her work is exhibited
in galleries domestically and overseas.
As the myths are exposed and stereotypes smashed, the
next leg of the immersive journey begins. The six set off
from Elcho Island to Alice Springs.
The group is checked into an Aboriginal hostel dedicated to
providing affordable accommodation for Indigenous people
drawn to the service hub of Alice Springs.
For Sandy, the journey is all becoming to much…
Ray Martin reveals that they will shadow the Tangentyere
Council Night Patrol service that cares for the drunk and
vulnerable on the streets of Alice Springs. It’s not long
before tempers flare.
SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014
But in amongst the helplessness, there’s hope. Bo-dene
and Marcus are taken to a furniture making store and op
shop which gives local Aboriginal people paid training. For
Marcus it’s a ray of light. Bo-dene is less convinced. For
her, the residents of Elcho Island should be taking more
personal responsibility and helping themselves.
Back at Timmy’s house, there are more revelations. Questioned by Trent, Bo-dene opens up about her own troubled
past…
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There are also others in the community trying to stem the
flow of alcohol and the devastating effects it can have.
Bo-dene, Alice and Jasmine set out to the bush and are
welcomed into a women’s support group for recovering
alcoholics. Inspired by the women’s stories, Bo-dene’s
journey of discovery continues as she finds connection with
her own mother’s battle with alcohol.
From Alice Springs, the group goes west. The next leg of
this extraordinary journey will be played out against the
backdrop of the vast mines of the Pilbara. For Bo-dene,
the experience is more emotional than she could ever have
imagined.
TEACHER NOTES
Ideas and considerations for the classroom pertaining to
Episode 2.
• Unemployment on Elcho Island is very high, especially
among youth. What impact does sustained unemployment have on an individual and on the community?
• When the group visits the Elcho Island they witness
poverty on the island. Discuss the contributing factors
that have bought about poverty on Elcho Island.
• Research the Elcho Island Arts Centre. How does this
centre operate? How has the establishment of this centre nurtured positive community action?
• Watch the episode and note the training programs helping to alleviate unemployment on Elcho Island. Consider
the on-going benefits of such programs for the individual and the community.
• How and why does a Night Patrol exist in Alice Springs?
Does a similar service operate in your neighbourhood?
Why or why not? What are the community benefits of
such a service?
STUDENT TASKS
1. Where is Elcho Island? Draw a map of northern Australia and mark in the location of Elcho Island. Watch
the episode and do some research to find five interesting facts about Elcho Island. List these facts below your
map.
2. Research an Indigenous Artist of your choice to learn
about the artist’s body of work, the style and symbolism included in their art and any exhibitions and/or
awards they may have received. Create an imaginative,
informative profile of the artist’s point of view. This can
be presented as either a PowerPoint presentation or a
90-second video clip montage.
3. Watch the episode to learn about community training
programs held by elders on Elcho Island. Select one
program and create an A4 size poster outlining the
benefits of such a program and encouraging people to
‘sign-up’.
5. When Bo-dene, Alice and Jasmine are welcomed into a
women’s support group for recovering alcoholics, they
are reminded of their own personal circumstances. Why
is this event particularly emotional and significant for
Bo-dene?
SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014
4. In a 200 word article, describe in detail the work of the
Tangentyere Council Night Patrol. Conclude by explaining how and why this service helps the local community.
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Episode 3
SYNOPSIS
After almost three weeks immersed into Aboriginal Australia,
the group is about to face their most confronting experience
yet.
With no idea of what’s coming, they are picked up in a Correctional Services van and taken to Roebourne Regional Prison.
Aboriginal people are 15 times more likely than other Australians to end up in jail. The five are about to discover what life is
like on the inside.
The group is taken through the processing unit, strip-searched
and handed prison clothing. For Law Enforcement Officer
Trent, the tables have been turned. Finding out what Aboriginal inmates go through is a revelation.
As Trent confronts his views, Jasmine shares her past. Her
own father was once behind bars.
Jasmine and Bo-dene are convinced that Aboriginal people
are to blame for their plight but as they spend one to one time
with two inmates, the pair begins to see a different story.
The final leg of the journey can begin.
The group travels northeast to Fitzroy Crossing – a town
once ravaged by the horrors of alcohol, domestic suicide
and violence.
But this was before the women of the town fought back
and spearheaded a campaign for full strength takeaway
alcohol to be banned in Fitzroy. The results were immediate
as rates of violent assaults plummeted.
The five soon discover that the town is still living with the
dark legacy of alcohol abuse and it’s the children who are
suffering. Emotions run high as the group meet 15-year-old
Tristan. Like one in five children in the Fitzroy Valley, Tristan
SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014
Aboriginal people make up less that three percent of the total
population but more than 25% of the prison population across
Australia. At Roebourne around 90% of prisoners are Aboriginal. As the group is shown to their cells in maximum security,
they come face to face with their fellow inmates. This first contact inspires heated debate as the group search for answers
as to why so many Indigenous people are incarcerated.
As night draws in, the group joins more than one hundred
Aboriginal prisoners in the dining hall before being called
back to their cells. Ray Martin is waiting.
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suffers from a condition know as Foetal Alcohol Spectrum
Disorder (FASD). The disorder is caused by pregnant mothers drinking and can lead to children being born with physical deformity, brain damage or behavioral problems.
For Bo-dene and Jasmine, Tristan’s plight strikes a chord
as they look into their own lives and reveal how alcohol has
affected them.
As the five leave Fitzroy Crossing behind, they have one
more stage of soul searching to contend with.
By journey’s end, they are left to reflect on their epic
adventure of discovery and learning deep into Aboriginal
Australia.
This has been their First Contact.
TEACHER NOTES
• Research and consider why alcohol became a public
problem in Fitzroy Crossing. What factors contributed to
the problem?
• In an unprecedented community act, the local women
of Fitzroy Crossing united to make positive changes to
their community by having full strength takeaway alcohol banned. Investigate the community work of June
Oscar AO.
• Describe the ways in which successful positive political action has improved community life and health in
Fitzroy Crossing.
STUDENT TASKS
1. Watch episode 3 and listen to the Roebourne Prison
Superintendent as he explains why 90% of the pris-
Ideas and considerations for the classroom pertaining to
Episode 3
• Compare isolated regional living conditions to urban
conditions. What services are available to urban communities that are unavailable to remote or regional communities?
SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014
• Aboriginal people are fifteen times more likely to be
incarcerated than non-Indigenous Australians. Listen to
the Roebourne Prison Superintendent as he explains
the reason why so many Aboriginal people are in prison.
15
oners in the jail are Aboriginal people. Reflect on his
comments. What is the most common reason repeat
offenders are returned to Roebourne Prison?
2. Living conditions in remote and regional areas can often
be more challenging than urban areas. Write a list of five
public facilities or services that could support people in
the Roebourne district if they were available.
3. Do some research on Fitzroy Crossing political activist
and community advocate, June Oscar AO. In a short
essay, explain the reasons she received her Order Of
Australia award.
4. Research the successful political change bought about
by June Oscar and local Fitzroy Crossing women. Find
five statistics that demonstrate the positive results of
their action.
SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014
5. At the end of the show the group meet at Windjana
Gorge to reflect on their experiences and observations.
Choose three members of the group. Write a misconception held by each of the three BEFORE embarking
on the First Contact journey. Then, write a comparative
statement explaining their new knowledge and understanding AFTER their First Contact journey.
16
LOCATIONS
Nyinyikay
Uluru
Far North East Arnhem Land, Northern Territory
northern Territory
The six arrive at one of the most famous sites in the world
and the iconic symbol of Aboriginal Australia – Uluru. Waiting for them in the shadow of the rock is Ray Martin. Ray
welcomes the group to the show and sets up what they’re
in for. He then reveals the first surprise of many. He reveals
that the journey will actually begin more than 2000km away
in Sydney. Why? Because more Aboriginal people live there
than just about anywhere else in Australia. The revelation
sets the tone for a confronting experience. The epic journey
begins.
Sydney
The six travel back to Sydney where they are split into
groups and meet their two host families. The six are
confronted over issues from welfare to Aboriginal identity.
Emotions run raw as stories of the stolen generations are
revealed.
Elcho Island
East Arnhem Land, Northern Territory
It’s a dramatic gear change as the group leaves one of
the most idyllic locations in Australia and heads for one of
the most dysfunctional. Marcus and the group are on their
way to Elcho Island where chronic housing shortages and
unemployment is rife.
SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014
New South Wales
This is the epic journey the cast and the audience have
been anticipating. But the reality of travelling from Sydney
to a remote homeland in North East Arnhem Land is revelatory and dramatic. Travelling in a six-seater plane raises the
potential for excitement and fear. The remoteness and stark
beauty of Nyinyikay is overwhelming and the fish out of
water experience begins.
17
Roebourne Prison
The Pilbara, Western Australia
Alice Springs
Northern Territory
The group learns that Alice is a town bursting at the seams,
a magnet for Aboriginal people from surrounding communities. The immersion is becoming more intense as the group
walk in the shoes of Aboriginal people and sees first hand
the challenges they face in one of Australia’s iconic towns.
This is a place known throughout the world for its connection to Indigenous culture and history but it is a town
with a dark underbelly of crime and disorder, a community
brought to its knees by alcohol. Inspirational families who
are somehow succeeding in amongst the mayhem take
the group into their lives. But for one of the six, the journey
proves all too much to take.
Fitzroy Crossing
Western Australia
The immersion enters its final phase. The remote town of
Fitzroy Crossing in the Kimberley was once gripped by alcohol abuse, a suicide epidemic and domestic violence on
a horrendous scale. After a landmark campaign to restrict
the sale of alcohol, local Aboriginal women turned the town
around. The group soon discovers the dark legacy of grog
and meet he generation of children suffering the consequences.
Windjana Gorge
Western Australia
The Pilbara, Western Australia
From the Red Centre, the five outspoken Aussies fly to
the vast and rich lands of Western Australia. The travellers
discover a very different side to the mining business.
A stunning setting is the location for the cast to reflect on
their time in Fitzroy Crossing. Ray Martin arrives and the
group reveal how far they have come on their epic adventure.
SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014
Karratha
Surrounded by the seemingly bottomless pits of the
Pilbara, the group is about to experience the most intense
experience so far. Picked up in a Correction Services van
the five are taken to Roebourne prison. They are about to
go through what thousands of Aboriginal inmates experience every year.
18
Presenter
Ray Martin
Ray has been a journalist for print and TV media since 1965.
After starting as an ABC cadet working in Sydney, Perth and
Canberra, Ray was posted to New York where he would be
the North American correspondent for the next decade.
In 1978 he switched to the Nine Network, launching
60 Minutes with Ian Leslie and George Negus. For
the next twenty years, Ray was the face of both Midday and A Current Affair, along with Nine’s coverage
of federal elections and Carols by Candlelight. In forty
years of journalism, Ray has won five Gold and over
twenty Silver Logie awards.
He has been the Chairman of the Fred Hollows Foundation
and the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation, and
is currently patron of the Humpty Dumpty Foundation. In
2011, Ray was made a member of the Order of Australia
for services to Indigenous Australians, charities, and the
media.
The Group
Sandy
Trent
Trent is a 28-year-old law enforcement officer and single
dad from western Sydney. Trent says he always wanted to
work in law enforcement and after briefly starting a university degree in teaching, he decided he would be happier
pursuing his dream, and so switched to his current career.
Trent says the proudest moment in his life was the birth
of his child, closely followed by becoming a law enforcement officer. Trent has had some regular interactions with
Aboriginal people, but only when he worked on front line
law enforcement. He acknowledges these interactions have
informed his opinions of Aboriginal people. Trent’s main
reason for coming on this trip is to find out more about
Aboriginal people and to become a better law enforcement
officer.
Alice
31-year-old Alice lives on the Gold Coast and is studying nutritional medicine. Good food, health and wellbeing are key principles that Alice tries to live by. It means
she is mindful of the type of food she eats and where it is
sourced. Alice is also a dedicated yoga fan and attends a
class everyday if she can. It’s one way she fulfills her aim
of always looking for how to improve. Alice grew up in
Canberra and had very little interaction with Aboriginal people there. She spent most of her 20’s travelling the world
and moving from place to place. Alice has lived in various
places in Australia but is excited to come on this journey to
see Aboriginal Australia, a side of the country that she feels
she has yet to experience.
SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014
Sandy is a 41-year-old mother of five from Newcastle in
NSW, who works as a mortgage broker. Sandy lives a
busy life, what with shuttling her three youngest children
between school and day-care, making work calls (hands
free) in the car, and making sure she finds enough time in
her schedule to visit the hairdresser, the nail salon, and the
solarium at least once a week. Sandy has a complex family
history, including a mixed heritage that she only found out
about in her late teens. She has had very little contact with
Aboriginal people. She is very keen on having an adventure
but is a little apprehensive about leaving some of her creature comforts at home.
19
Jasmine
Bo-dene
33-year-old Jasmine is a mother of four young children
from suburban Brisbane. She has her hands full looking after the kids as her husband spends a lot of time away from
home with work. Jasmine’s biggest passion is her family, but she says if she does have a vice it’s spending too
much time on social media. Jasmine recently completed a
diploma in tourism studies and has always wanted to work
in the industry. One of her biggest regrets is not completing
high school, and Jasmine says part of her motivation for
volunteering to take part in this documentary was to set an
example to her kids that people can always learn and improve themselves. Other than a few of her children’s school
friends, Jasmine has had next to no contact with Aboriginal
people in her life. She says it’s possible that her husband
may have distant Aboriginal heritage.
Bo-dene is 25 years old and lives in outer Melbourne.
For the past five years, she’s worked on the checkout at
a supermarket. Bo-dene won many academic awards at
school and has a great passion for drama and the arts. The
biggest challenge in her life was when she found herself
homeless with her mum and brother a few years ago.
Bo-dene has had little contact with Aboriginal people but
is very keen to find out more and learn about the lives of
Indigenous Australians.
Marcus
SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014
Marcus is 23 years old and has spent his life close to the
water on Sydney’s northern beaches. He currently lives with
his long-term girlfriend at her parents’ place in the same
area. Marcus loves to surf in his spare time. He works as
a photographer part time, usually covering music festivals
and shooting portraits. He is also studying music at university. Music is one of his biggest passions in life, along with
having what he describes as a ‘fascination with people’.
Marcus has had very little to do with Aboriginal people
growing up and he’s keen to find out more about the world
outside his current environment.
20
INDIGENOUS KEY CONTRIBUTORS
Shane Phillips
CEO Tribal Warrior & Local Australian of the Year 2013
Sydney, NSW
Advocate for Aboriginal rights, Shane Phillips is a respected
member of the Redfern Aboriginal community and is
regarded as their voice on a range of youth issues, juvenile
justice and Aboriginal deaths in custody. He was named a
Local Hero in the 2013 Australia Day awards
“We have to create
our own destiny and
develop our own tools
to do it.”
SHANE PHILLIPS
SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014
An Indigenous entrepreneur, Shane is the fulltime CEO of
the Tribal Warrior Association. TWA is a non-profit organisation directed by Aboriginal people and elders that offers
training for employment and helps at the grassroots level
with emergency relief for struggling families. He also operates a mentoring program to help Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander young people to achieve their full potential.
The concept is uncomplicated: it’s about forming good
habits, guiding by example, including everyone and acknowledging achievements.
Shane is also credited with improving the relationship between his community and the police. His biggest personal
achievement is with the Clean Slate Without Prejudice
Program that has been running since 2009. The program
is based around a morning boxing program run three days
a week at the Eora Gym in Redfern. The program is run in
collaboration with the police, and since its inception the
number of crimes committed by local youth has declined
by 80 per cent. Born and raised in Redfern, Shane is an
outstanding community leader, respected by Indigenous
and Non-Indigenous people alike for his integrity, hard work
and determination to get things done.
21
Victor Morgan
Senior Educator, Education Centre Against Violence &
Chair Link-Up NSW
Sydney, NSW
Victor Morgan lives with his wife and three daughters in
South West Sydney. They live in a four-bedroom brick
home with three cars, a menagerie of pets, and a swimming
pool. Also living with the family is Victor’s nephew Adam
Morgan, 29, originally from Cabramatta; and his daughter
Kimberley’s Aboriginal partner Henry Edwards, 22, originally
from Redfern.
Victor has never had a handout and has worked hard for
everything he has. Both his parents were of the Stolen
Generations who overcame hardship to instill pride in their
children; they are a part of Sydney’s Indigenous population
that grew up with the multicultural experience in Western
Sydney.
Victor has worked in many Indigenous organisations including the Tribal Warrior Association. He is currently chair of
Link-Up NSW, an Aboriginal Corporation founded around
1980, designed to assist all Aboriginal people who have
been fostered, adopted or raised in institutions to find their
way home.
Victor is also currently working on a program called Strong
Aboriginal Men. He says it’s “helping men to come to terms
with trauma grief and loss”. He believes Aboriginal men
need to take a place alongside Aboriginal women to get a
voice in the community.
Victor Morgan’s own father (also Victor) was taken from his
family when he was five years old. He was sent to Bomaderry and then to Kinchella Boys Home. Until his death he
was the oldest surviving Kinchella boy. Victor was in Parliament House the day Kevin Rudd gave the apology – appearing for his dad who had Alzheimer’s. It was his father’s
birthday.
SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014
“From our family side all the top people have
died off so it is up to us now. I’m a non-drinker,
non-smoker, I don’t gamble, everything I do is
for betterment of my family and my community.
I know who I am as an Aboriginal man and I’ve
got a lot to offer.” VICTOR MORGAN
22
He is recognised and respected in the community as a talented teacher, singer, songwriter, performer and choreographer who has involved members of both the Yolngu and
non-Yolngu community in his creative projects.
Together with his extended family, Marcus works with Lirrwi
Tourism to provide immersive cultural experiences for nonIndigenous guests.
Margaret Gudumurrkuwuy
Elcho Island Arts
Elcho Island, East Arnhem Land, NT
Marcus Lacey
Traditional Owner, Teacher & Tourist Business Operator
Nyinyikay, East Arnhem Land, NT
“We’re sharing our culture the spirit of the land. Every human hair has that spiritual element.
We use it but at some point humankind have lost that,
Technology is good and well but you lose spiritual element
to your lives”
Marcus Lacey lives on the homeland community of Nyinyikay with his wife, five children (some at boarding school)
and extended family. The homeland is four hours drive or
20 minutes flight from Nhulunbuy.
Marcus is a passionate advocate of the homeland system.
Until recently he and his immediate family lived on Elcho
Island. But at the start of 2014 he resigned from his twelveyear teaching job at the Shepherdson College and took his
family to Nyiniyikay where his mother, grandmother and
extended family already lived. Marcus now teaches at a
nearby homeland school.
Twice runner-up in the NT Young Achiever Awards, and
youngest person to be elected to the Galiwinku Community Council, Marcus is a widely respected young leader of
Yolngu Customary and Ngärra Law and is a trained mediator through the four-year Mawul Rom program.
Margaret is known for her painting and carving skills and
her past works include hollow logs, sculptures and paintings on bark and canvas, as well as more recently woven
fibre works and jewellery.
During the week, Margaret is employed as an art centre
assistant at Elcho Island Arts where her roles include assisting with translation, documenting traditional culture and
knowledge, natural materials collection and artist liaison.
In 2009 Margaret commenced reduction wood cut printmaking with printmakers from Basil Hall Editions. Her work
included in the Elcho Elements exhibition depicts the salt
water currents found in the waterways surrounding Elcho
Island.
In 2010 Margaret participated in the Yuta Badayala project
and exhibition. Yuta Badayala (New Light) is the product
of a joint project between Sydney based design company,
Koskela, and Yolngu women fibre artists working with Elcho
Island Arts in North East Arnhem Land. The aim of the project was to give Yolngu women the opportunity to transfer
their traditional weaving techniques into new forms so that
long-held cultural practices and art making skills could be
seen ’in a new light’. The project also aims to develop new
markets for Indigenous fibre art.
2011 ‘Living Art from Ancient Land’, Shalini Ganendra Fine
Art, Malaysia 2010 ‘Yuta Badayala’, Object Gallery Sydney.
In collaboration with Koskela Design. Sydney
2009 ‘Elcho Elements’, Nomad Gallery, Darwin
2009 ‘Dhapirrk Djarma Fantastic Work’, Alcaston Gallery,
Melbourne
SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014
Marcus ran his own youth football program at Galiwin’ku
for six years. He describes the Marurrumbu Football Club
as “using football to motivate young people into creating
awareness about health, strong men, strong families, strong
futures; where they will build self-confidence and leadership. We talk about these things as being important in life
- footy is the vehicle.” Marcus wants to bring the program
to Nyinyikay but, as yet, there is no suitable infrastructure
on the Homeland.
Margaret Gudumurrkuwuy is a talented and experienced
artist from Galiwin’ku, the main community on Elcho Island.
Her traditional homeland is Gundalmirri. She is married to
Sandy Pascoe and together they have three children and
three grandchildren.
23
Tangentyere Council
Night Patrol
Alice Springs, NT
Tangentyere Council’s Night Patrol operates in the Alice
Springs region, and is funded by the Australian Government’s Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. The
main roles of the Tangentyere Night Patrol are to ensure
that children and youth are off the streets and safe so they
are prepared for school the following day, and that Aboriginal people in town camps and Alice Springs are safe,
protected and diverted to appropriate services.
The Night Patrol team is a group of skilled individuals, often
multiple language speakers, who are committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of Alice Springs residents.
They operate in a complex and often volatile environment
with great skill and care and are trained in de-escalating
dangerous situations. They offer a non-coercive alternative
to criminal justice responses and have the respect of the
community.
The Tangentyere Council mission is to:
• Liaise and integrate service delivery with other government and non government providers to ensure community access to necessary social, economic and health
services, as well as to engage in effective information
sharing to promote seamless service delivery; and
• Assist children and youth on the streets by offering a
lift home or to a safe place so they can get prepared for
school the next day;
• Employ language and cultural skills to inform service
delivery and advise service providers about cultural
responsiveness and acceptability.
• Identify and assist children, adults and vulnerable
groups who are at risk in Alice Springs and providing
them with transport to a safe place or a referral to an
appropriate service;
Debra Maidment
• Ensure Aboriginal people are diverted away from
criminal justice responses and into community based
support options;
Safe & Sober Support Service Program Central
Australia Aboriginal Congress Alice Springs, NT
“Our job is to help people, to either cut down or give up
alcohol.”
Debra Maidment is a respected Arrernte woman and has
been a senior female Aboriginal health worker in the Alice
Springs area for four years. She holds a Bachelor Degree in
Education, and is currently completing her Masters Degree.
She specialises in community development and research.
Debra is a Senior Aboriginal AOD Worker for Central
Australian Aboriginal Congress’ Safe and Sober Support
Service, helping Aboriginal people who are looking for
treatment and support with alcohol and other drug addictions. The program aims to facilitate improved wellbeing
for Aboriginal people experiencing the effects of harmful
alcohol use. Referrals come from other services in town
including the Congress Clinic, Alice Springs Hospital and
Corrections. Clients or families can also refer themselves.
SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014
The services provided include Women’s bush trips (every
Wednesday), Men’s bush trips (every other Thursday). The
bush trips are used as therapy, and a way to focus and
facilitate reconnecting to country and identity, and retaining
culture.
24
The Home Interaction Program for Parents and Youngsters
(HIPPY) is a home-based parenting and early childhood
enrichment program targeting families with young children. The program runs for two years beginning in the year
before school, and continues during their first year of formal
schooling. This approach aims to develop the foundations
for learning during a child’s crucial early years. The program
contributes to social inclusion, promotes successful school
participation, and further supports parents to employment
and local level community leadership.
Sharyn Derschow
Co-founder Linkidge Cross Communication Training
Company
Karratha, WA
“What we want to do is build a bridge between two worlds,
we want people to understand one another.”
Geraldine Stewart
Yipirinya School HIPPY Coordinator
Alice Springs, NT
“I’ve worked in town, on stations, mainly with kids, ran the
gap youth centre for a while, so been around, but always
looking after kids.”
Geraldine Stewart works at Yipirinya School, specialising as a coordinator for both the FAST and HIPPY
Programs. (See below).
Geraldine is the eldest of seven children. She began work
at the age of 16 at St Mary’s Hostel in Alice Springs where
her mother worked. St Mary’s was set up by the Anglican
church to accommodate children of mixed descent living
on cattle stations and in communities so that they could
attend school in town and return home during school holidays. Some children were a part of the stolen generation.
All her life she has looked after children - working in child
and family support centres, welfare centres, homes for
children or looking after extended family. Despite struggling
with depression at certain points in her life she retains a
positive outlook and feels as though she was put on this
earth to care for children. Geraldine is currently caring for
several grandchildren after the unexpected death of her
daughter-in-law.
During her career Sharyn has also previously worked at
Roebourne prison as part of the Indigenous Family Violence
Program catering to violent offenders, and worked in a
variety of community development, counseling and governmental roles.
As a Director of Linkidge, a consulting business Sharyn
has co-founded with her brother Brett, she presently works
extensively as a facilitator of Keogh Bay Training’s Working
with Indigenous Employees program.
Linkidge focuses on cross cultural communications and relationship building. The aims are to assist Aboriginal people
to succeed in the world of work while balancing personal
demands and community expectations. In addition Linkage
offers communication training for non-Indigenous mining
managers concentrating on how to work effectively with
Aboriginal people. They have now trained well over 600
mine managers/leaders at mine sites across the Pilbara in
Cross-Communication Training.
June Oscar
CEO Marninwarntikura Women’s Resource Centre
Fitzroy Crossing, Kimberley, WA
Ms. June Oscar AO is a Bunuba Woman from Fitzroy
Crossing in the Central Kimberley region Western Australia.
Recently Ms. Oscar was appointed as an Officer in the
Order of Australia. The Award is a fitting national recogni-
SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014
Yipirinya School is an independent, non-government
school, offering bilingual and bicultural education. Located
in Alice Springs it caters for Indigenous students living in
town camps and outstations who are some of the most
disadvantaged students in Australia. Not only does it teach
literacy and numeracy following a government framework, it
also teaches four Indigenous languages and culture.
Born in Port Hedland Sharyn is one of nine children. She
is a Pilbara Aboriginal woman with connections to Banjima
and Nyangumarta language groups. She speaks Yinjibarndi
fluently and is based in Karratha. She has four sons who
have Yijibarndi blood ties also. The two eldest currently
work in the mining industry. She has four grandchildren.
25
tion of her significant personal contribution and long -term
commitment to improving the lives of the people in the
Fitzroy Valley.
She has a Bachelor of Business from Notre Dame University and is presently the CEO of Marninwarntikura Fitzroy
Women’s Resource Centre. She is an Ambassador for
Children and Young People in Western Australia and co
founded the Marulu Strategy focusing on Foetal Alcohol
Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and a Chief Investigator in the
Lililwan Project, a research project into the Prevalence of
FASD in the Fitzroy Valley.
Ms. Oscar is a strong advocate and activist for the recognition, rights, preservation and promotion of Indigenous
Australian languages. A former Chair of the Kimberley
Languages Resource Centre, and co Chair of the Kimberley Interpreting Service. June is the inaugural chair of the
Bunuba Dawangarri Aboriginal Corporation, Native Title
Prescribed Body Corporate and serves on the Governing
Committee for the Fitzroy Valley Futures Forum and is a
Local Government Councilor on the Shire of Derby West
Kimberley.
Emily Carter
Deputy CEO Marninwarntikura Women’s Resource
Centre
Fitzroy Crossing, Kimberley, WA
Emily Carter is a Gooniyandi Kija woman from the central Kimberley region. Emily awoke to the importance of
Indigenous political self-determination and governance,
while working at the Department of Community Welfare for
17 years in the far north Kimberley. During her time with the
Department Emily became acutely aware of both the challenges of Aboriginal people engaging in the complexities
of the bureaucratic system and of the power for Aboriginal
people to influence decision makers and policy when they
took on positions of regional authority. At the time, local
Aboriginal leaders inspired her to understand her own history
while advocating for the rights of her people. Coming from a
Stolen Generations background, Emily sought to understand
the grief associated with the loss of cultural heritage and
the removal from ancestral homelands, which many people
continually contend with across the Kimberley.
Marmingee Hand
School Teacher & Foster Carer for F.A.S.D children
Fitzroy Crossing, Kimberley, WA
“I guess for us it was just wanting people to know and
understand what a FASD child looks like, and also knowing
and understanding FASD because it is a new area for all of
us to understand.”
Marmingee Hand, a Walmajarri woman, is an inspirational
Community Elder in the Fitzroy Crossing community. Together with her partner, Geoff Davis, she has fostered three
children all diagnosed with FASD (Foetal Alcohol Spectrum
Disorder) - two of which are her grandchildren; the third is
her sister’s son. Currently, in Australia, FASD is not recognised as an official disability.
Marmingee is the Chair of the Fitzroy Futures Education and Training Committee, and Chair of Garnduwa the
regional Indigenous Sporting Recreation organization for
the Kimberley. She speaks three languages, has two tertiary
degrees, and has been a schoolteacher and TAFE trainer
for over 20 years.
She is a strong advocate for women, and a role model for
all young Kimberley Indigenous Women though her involvement in Garnduwa’s girls leadership programs, athletics
and basketball development programs as well as coordinating the Fitzroy Girls Academy for Role Models WA.
Marmingee herself was a champion athlete. She excelled
at basketball and netball before moving into a successful
coaching career at a local and regional level.
Marmingee and her partner Geoff Davis also organize
various life skills programs which sees footy being used to
help prevent suicide, self harm and to reduce violence in
communities.
SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014
Emily moved to Fitzroy Crossing in the late 1990s to reconnect with her heritage and introduce her children to their
grandmother. She began managing the sobering up centre
and then moved to Nindilingarri Cultural Health Services as
a drug and alcohol officer. It was during her time there that
she became Chairperson of Marninwarntikura Women’s
Resource Centre, and invited June Oscar to come on as
Chief Executive Officer to restructure the organisation and
consolidate its units and programs around its core objective
of keeping women safe and advocating for their needs and
future aspirations.
In 2007, their remote community of Fitzroy Crossing
experienced 50 funerals and 13 suicides in 13 months. At
MWRC’s bi-annual bush meeting, the women of the region
called for a restriction on alcohol. Emily took on the position
as Chairperson of MWRC, and alongside June, they spearheaded a movement, using the power of the Liquor Licensing Act to restrict the sale of full strength take away alcohol
in Fitzroy Crossing. Emily continues to work at MWRC as
Deputy CEO engendering collective leadership and action
in women across the region to set a precedent for community led development and social reconstruction.
26
BLACKFELLA FILMS
Producer
Darren Dale
Series Producer and Writer
Jacob Hickey
REFERENCES
Location Directors
Ronan Sharkey, Dora Weekley
Executive Producer
Rachel Perkins
Blackfella Films
Presenter
Ray Martin
http://blackfellafilms.com.au
SBS Australia First Contact
Narrator
Hugo Weaving
http://www.sbs.com.au/programs/first-contact
Australian Curriculum Cross-curriculum priorities
http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/crosscurriculumpriorities
http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au
Credits and logos
http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/crosscurriculumpriorities/Aboriginal-and-Torres-Strait-Islander-histories-andcultures
© 2014 Blackfella Films Pty Ltd, Special Broadcasting Services, Screen Australia, Screen NSW and Film Victoria
SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014
Australian Curriculum Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures
Australian Curriculum (ACARA) Subject Areas
27
This study guide was produced by ATOM. (© ATOM 2014)
ISBN: 978-1-74295-519-3 editor@atom.org.au
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