April 9 2013 – To get a better understanding on the complexities of the half-caste aboriginal experience in Australia, here is a quick primer on the government policy.
In Australia between WWI and WWII, the half-caste problem was most vividly perceived on the frontier. This was where the children of aboriginal mothers and European fathers were often described as destitute. At a conference held in Canberra in April 1937, the Commonwealth and State Aboriginal Authorities addressed the half-caste problem. It resolved that, 'the destiny of the natives of aboriginal origins, but not the full blood, lies in their ultimate absorption by the people of the Commonwealth, and it therefore recommends that all efforts be directed to that end’.
This set the stage for,
Alice Briston to be taken!
Jessie Lyons to be taken!
Netta Cahill to be taken!
Lorna Fejo to be taken!
Betty Fisher to be taken!
A total of 95 half-caste aboriginal children were taken. And this became the genesis of the ‘Stolen Generation’.
In 1941, evacuation proceedings had begun for all white women and children from Darwin, Australia due to the imminent Japanese invasion. On February 19th , 1942, a message played from the pedal radio; Darwin has been bombed. The missionary women on Croker Island were given the option of evacuating but how could they abandon these children who have been placed in their care. So ninety-five half-caste aboriginal children under the care of the Methodist missionary made the harrowing 5,000 mile journey south to safety. They were led by a remarkable women, Margaret Somerville. This documentary, Croker Island Exodus is a first person accounts of this truly heroic untold journey from Croker Island, near the Arafura Sea down to Sydney.
Now well into their 80’s these indigenous women and men chronicle their childhood experiences of traveling barefoot, on cattle car trains, boats, trucks and in canoes. They subsisted on wild berries, water grass, sugar cane and horse meat in the harsh outback using whatever means possible to keep themselves going. Refused accommodation and with no parents to turn to, the children relied on themselves and their cottage mother for survival. Now, so many years later, the home movies of a by-gone era tugged hard at these old hearts as their bitter sweet memories came flooding back.
Director, Steven McGregor’s use of wartime newsreels, home movies and newspaper coverage showing the effects of war and the war effort, along with the political hot potato of government policies regarding half-caste indigenous children became a cogent narrative device. But, quite unexpectedly, the newsreel depicting a promising young singer, Better Fisher, ( with Dorothy Dandridge good looks and a silky Lena Horne voice ) became a media sensation. With her exotic looks Betty was feted around the country after winning a 1945 Amateur Hour contest. This revealed to the everyday Aussies just how special these children really are.
What makes Croker Island Exodus truly incredible is the journey it takes you on. With meticulous detail, we get to understand the climate in which half-caste children must endure and the resolve of a 28 year old Methodist cottage mother in 1941 who would stop at nothing to save them. Their journey is now chronicled in Margaret Somerville’s book, They Crossed a Continent.
Verdict 4/5: The beautifully narrated Croker Island Exodus can be measured in numbers. 95 destitute children . . . 44 days . . . a 5,000 mile journey. This documentary sheds light on the policies and prejudices that marginalized half-caste children in Australia. The back story of the aboriginal experience just scratches the surface in this documentary. In a time of war it was the power of one women that made the difference to these children who had so little and needed so much. Margaret Somerville unwavering commitment and selfless courage to help children elevates this documentary in the most life affirming way.
Tagline: Ninety-five children are living today, because Margaret Somerville couldn't’t look away.
Director: Steven McGregor
Genre: Documentary / History
Country: Australia
Year of Production: 2012
Runtime: 66 minutes
Principal Cast: Alice Briston, Netta Cahill, Jessie Lyons, Margaret Somerville
Writer: Steven McGregor, Danielle MacLean
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