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https://theconversation.com/brenda-matthews-was-ripped-from-a-loving-family-twice-but-she-was-born-too-late-to-be-officially-recognised-as-stolen-generations-201571>
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Review: The Last Daughter – Brenda Matthews (Text Publishing)
The woman’s face is in profile, her eyes looking into the distance – or the
past, or the future. This is a quiet woman, a thoughtful one; possibly one who
also carries sadness in her soul. This woman’s face is natural, a face with
features as familiar as my own – a strong brow, deep-set and dark eyes, and
full unvarnished lips set with an appealing cupid’s bow. Her hair is swept up,
the background is purple-blue – evocative of a beautiful night sky.
I don’t know why it takes me the full read of her book before I see the
photograph of two children superimposed on her right cheek: one child
white-skinned with blonde hair, the other dark-skinned with dark hair. It’s a
happy photo, as natural as they come.
Before this photograph of the children came into focus, my mind’s eye assumed
it was white ochre, placed ready for a ceremony of some sort. The book, The
Last Daughter, recounts the woman’s life to a certain midlife point. It ends
with insight into the making of a documentary feature film, released this week.
The book is a ceremony of sorts: a bringing together of the woman’s story of
families, Country, love, separation, heartache. And at its centre, a
truth-seeking quest to right the wrongs perpetrated by a government hell-bent
on doing “as they saw fit” when it came to Aboriginal peoples, with little
regard for the consequences. The woman is Brenda Matthews, née Simon, born
1970.
This birth year renders her officially ineligible for being recognised as part
of the Stolen Generations: the New South Wales Aborigines Protection Act was
repealed and the Aboriginal Welfare Board abolished in 1969. She was removed
from her family four years later, in 1973."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
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mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
