Freedom for Our Lifetime: Victoria, 1860 to 1890—First Australians (Enhanced DVD)

The indigenous people of Australia have long fought against the threat of becoming extinct. In the 1860s Simon Wonga, Wurundjeri elder, and John Green, Scottish preacher, sought to establish a new community and home for the remnants of the indigenous tribes near the Yarra River, naming it Coranderrk. Things went well and the community flourished until the Protection Board moved in and took control. The majority of white Australia, believing the tribes would die out based on Darwinism and survival of the fittest, turned the other way and took no notice. The Protection Board effectively drove Wonga and Green out in the 1870s and the citizens of Coranderrk were demoralized and oppressed. Other indigenous reserves were established and the Protection Board controlled them all. In 1886 the Half-Caste Act was passed, forcing all younger aborigines, under the age of 34, with any white ancestry to leave the reserves thus reabsorbing indigenous peoples back into Australian society. The Half-Caste System forced children to leave Aboriginal reserves but kept their parents bound to the land, tearing apart families and leaving children to fend for themselves. However, coming from the brink with a population of a mere 300, Aboriginal people groups now number over 30,000 and are working to bring back many parts of their indigenous culture and traditions. (52 minutes)

Item#: BVL52684

Producer: SBS

Copyright date: ©2007