RABBIT PROOF FENCE QUESTIONS

GENERAL QUESTIONS
1) What is the relationship between Gracie and Molly/Daisy?
Sisters - Gracie COUSIN
2) What kind of people are the Jigalong people?

An aboriginal tribe in far north Western Australia

East Pilbara
3) What rations did the Australian government give to the
Jigalong tribe?
TEA, FLOUR & SUGAR
4) Molly’s mother, Maude, tells her that the spirit bird will
always what?
EAGLE - show them how to GET HOME
5) Who is A.O. Neville?
The “devil” - Legal Protector of the Half-Caste Aborigines
“neolithic brains”
6) What does “legal guardian” mean?
Neville is their LEGAL GUARDIAN = under law means to have
100% custody.
7) What power does Neville have?
100% power –
1) if to get married or not
2) say if they can leave or not
3) when they can buy shoes
8) Where are Molly and Daisy's fathers?
White man who made the RABBIT PROOF FENCE …. Maude.
He promised to look after Maude, but they left or continued
working further up.
9) What does ‘moved on’ mean?
He left.
10) How do the girls get to Moore River?
CAR, TRAIN and then TRUCK.
11) What does “domestic help” mean?
“maid” “servant”
12) Were young babies also separated from their mothers?
YES
13) Why does Neville check for “lighter-skin children"?
Because lighter skin half-castes could go to a PROPER school.
14) What does “proper school” mean?
Proper = normal school
15) What are things the girls have trouble with at Moore River?
Eating Western food
Using Western utensils/cutlery
Sleeping on beds
Standing up before eating and saying a prayers
16) Who is Moodoo?
Tracker - someone who hunts the run-aways.
17) Why does he do this job?
His daughter OLIVE is at MOORE RIVER and he can’t go until
they let her go free. He is waiting until then.
18) Who is Olive?
Olive is the Tracker’s daughter.
19) What does “assimilate” mean?
To be together harmoniously. Neville wants ABORIGINES to
assimilate INTO white culture.
20) Neville refers to an unwanted “third race” - who are they?
Mixed half-caste people.
21) When does Molly decide is an opportunity to escape?
Rain will cover their tracks.
22) Does the hunter help the girls?
Yes, he gives them a kangaroo tail to eat and tells them to be
careful of the TRACKER (Moodoo).
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23) Does the woman (Mrs Flanagan) with the daughter help the
girls?
A woman who provides Molly, Gracie, and Daisy with food and
warm clothes when they stop at her farmhouse during their
trek through the bush. She instructs them how to get to the
rabbit-proof fence once they tell her that following the fence
home is their goal. Although she assures the girls that she will
not report them to the authorities, she calls her local
Superintendent as soon as they leave the house because she is
worried that the girls will get lost and die out in the wilderness,
and feels it is her “duty” to report them so that they can be
rescued.

24) What do they do to trick the tracker, Moodoo?

They cover their tracks
They walk with socks on
They piggy back each other
They put bags/clothes upstream so he’ll think they’ve gone that
way.
25) What trap does Neville set for the girls?
He thinks they’re on Rabbit Proof fence number 2 but a kind
man told them they were on the wrong fence, so they cut
across to the correct fence (fence number 1).
26) Where is Wiluna?
Wiluna is Fence number 2.
27) Does Moodoo seem sympathetic to Molly, Gracie and
Daisy?
Yes, over time he starts to respect the girls and wants them to
succeed.

28) For what reason does Mavis/Martha want the girls to stay?
The farmer was sexually abusing her.
If the girls stayed, he wouldn’t come into her room.
29) When Molly sees the spirit bird, how does she feel?
She feels relieved, she knows the way home. She knows it’s not
far now.
30) What shows the Aborigines' deep connection to the girls?
The remaining Aborigines in Jigalong are “sensing” they are
approaching and all start singing in anticipation.
It shows they can feel things that white people can’t.

31) What does Molly’s “I lost one” comment refer to?

She lost Gracie because Gracie fell for the trap, “Mother in
Wiluna waiting for you”

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THEME-BASED QUESTIONS
1)What is your opinion on the Stolen Generations?
Not fair they were forcibly removed.
2) Why do they think some Australians deny the idea of the
Stolen Generations?
Some white people, particularly church people deny it
happened because they don’t want to pay any compensation.
4)What do you think the impact of the Stolen Generations has
been on the Australian Aboriginal community?
Traumatic - Passes on from generation to generation
https://youtu.be/vlqx8EYvRbQ
4)How do they think the Australian Aboriginals’ situation is in
Australia today?
Still racism exists. Still they are discriminated against.
The VOICE referendum will help to alleviate this, but we don’t
know if it’ll pass until 14/10/23.

What problems might there be between them and the

government?
The government, practically the Liberal government might not
ever want any form of reconciliation. They don’t want this or a
treaty because they are worried the aborigines will make claims
and demand money.

6)Do you think the government has a responsibility to help

them? Why/why not?
Yes, I do.