Though I had an extremely enjoyable night and loved the movie I left there "ashamed by the colour of my skin". To be honest I am not aware of all of the facts of that period and I will over this year I would like to have a more detailed look into the details of the stolen generation.
Over the weekend I found various accounts about the story portrayed by the movie. This one was not what I had hoped to find.
The "Mission Island" of the film is Bathurst Island, and it was bombed before the onslaught on Darwin.I do not intend to say that the people that cared for these children did not love and care for the kids in their care but the policy by our government was disgraceful and the actions of some within our public service (police, etc) where shameful. I AM thankful that Kevin Rudd DID make an apology for the government as it is both right and just for him to have done so.
My struggle now is with the Churches involvement in this policy. Did they
1. approve of the policy and carry out the shameful actions of forcefully removing children from their families?
2. carry out care for children that were forcefully removed from their families?
As a Christian I hope that it is the second. If not I feel a sense of shame for the pain that was caused to Aboriginal families by the Church. It is a reminder that we are all fallen people that can only been redeemed by the work that Jesus did on the cross. It is my earnest prayer that what happened in that period of our history will not stop people coming to know Jesus as their Saviour.
Just a little blogger tip - you need to make sure your links have http:// at the front of them or they're just appended to your URL - the first two don't work.
ReplyDeleteGermaine Greer is a complete nutjob who knows nothing about Australian history.
ReplyDeletethanks Nathan fixed up the links
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you Leah... I'm not sure why we keep allowing Germaine Greer to have outspoken oppinions about things she clearly knows nothing about.
ReplyDeleteI had wondered if 'Mission Island' had some historical accuracy... how horrible that it does...
re Greer: She's a witch, burn her. I wouldn't say she "knows nothing" about Australian history - just that she tries to read it in a way that justifies her continued existence as somebody the media will interview. It's good for book sales.
ReplyDeleteI have friends who were church workers in the time of the 'stolen generation' and whilst bad stuff did go on- they shed new light on it. remember the australian government did not consider abouriginal people as human and it was the churches who led the fight for them. There was no welfare and mostly people were just dumped on reserves (normally the worst ground were crops could not be grown). Children were dying by the thousands. Unfortunently the churches get a bad wrap but they did help a lot of people and save a lot of lives
ReplyDeleteKnowing history but reading false things into it = knowing nothing, in my books.
ReplyDeleteThere was one part about Mission Island that was historically inaccurate, and that was the Japs landing. No Japs landed on Australian soil during WWII. Some bailed out over the ocean and were washed up (maybe onto Mission Is, too), but were taken POW. The movie portrayed an organised hunt for survivors; no such thing happened.
I am glad to hear that the Church were leading the charge here Tim.
ReplyDeleteLeah thanks for mentioning that I forgot to say that in the blog as I did read that somewhere. Although I would still say that it is sad that these children were put on the "front line"..
"Knowing history but reading false things into it = knowing nothing, in my books."
ReplyDeleteI disagree - it's kind of like the Devil believing in God - being fully aware of the truth but flaunting it intentionally - I actually think it's harsher to say she is deliberately misleading.
Hey Toph!
ReplyDeleteYour (and my) skin colour is nothing to be ashamed of. We’ve done some crap things, and we’ve done some awesome things, just like people groups all over the world.
As I understand it the whole stolen generation debacle was an act of great ignorance, as opposed to great malice, at least on the part of the church. The Aboriginal way of life seemed primitive and savage to us because we did not understand the deep spiritual beliefs which underpin it. Our intent was to care for and educate the indigenous population, but unfortunately we did not understand the deep cultural ramifications of removing Aboriginal people from their land.
We now know better, and as such an apology for the damage we caused was entirely appropriate. Now we’re looking for ways to help the Indigenous Australians reclaim their heritage so we can face the future as one country.
Okay, that was a long string of clichés, but it’s nothing to be ashamed of.
Chris Inness- I got the impression from the movie that the children were sent to Mission Island because the authorities thought the Japs would not be interested in it.
ReplyDeleteAs for real history: It's my understanding, from the limited knowledge I have, that children taken to Bathurst Island were from all over the Northern Territory. Families were told to take their children first, but children whose parents were out bush and unable to be contacted were taken to the islands. (Bathurst, Melville, Croker). The Catholics were on Bathurst, the Methodists on Croker, and the Anglicans on Melville. It seems the Catholics had the unfortunate luck of being on the island that got strafed.
It's very unfortunate that the children happened to be there, but it seems the people who put them there thought they'd be safer there.