Thread: Australia's shameful past

How a school play about Aboriginal history set off a row

It's one of the most sensitive topics of modern Australia: the country's past treatment of its indigenous peoples.

And its capacity to divide non-indigenous Australians has again been thrust into the spotlight, this time because of a primary school play. It has also raised debate about what is appropriate for children to be taught at school.

Students at the government-run Forestville Public School in Sydney's north last week performed a history presentation titled Australia - You're Standing In It (named after a 1980s TV comedy show).

While the play, presented by junior students, covered various Australian history topics, a segment performed for parents by Year 5 and 6 students about one of the nation's darkest chapters - the Stolen Generations - has sparked controversy.

Tens of thousands of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children were forcibly taken from their parents by government authorities between 1883 and 1969 and placed into boys' and girls' homes, foster families or Christian missions. On turning 18 they were cast out, often scarred for life, support groups say.

The policy's most widely cited motivations include that it was a protective move based on a belief the indigenous population would die out, that children were being neglected, or that it was a way of introducing religion to Aboriginal people.

Some indigenous groups, however, say the main motivation was to put a swift end to Aboriginal culture.

In 2008, newly elected Prime Minister Kevin Rudd issued a famous, long-awaited apology in parliament to the Stolen Generations, saying he hoped Australia could turn a new page by "righting the wrongs of the past and so moving forward with confidence to the future".

But nine years on, the issue is still a thorny one.


'Disgraceful' content

One parent who saw the play at Forestville was Robbie Slater. A former Australia and English Premier League footballer whose five-year-old son attends the school, Mr Slater came out in the media to say he was "disgusted" by the segment.
"It was bloody disgraceful," Mr Slater, now a TV football commentator, told local newspaper The Manly Daily, adding he had walked out "at certain stages" during the play.

"I don't think using five, six or seven-year-old kids is appropriate to push your own political agenda," he added.

However, the children presenting the Stolen Generations segment were from the nine-12 age bracket. Also, students from kindergarten to Year 4 did not watch that part of the play.

Initial reports also said the play featured children dressed as nuns who were mentally and physically abusing students playing Stolen Generations children.

The issue drew more visceral reaction through Sydney right-wing radio talkback host Ray Hadley, who demanded an inquiry from the New South Wales state government, and called the teachers organising the play "imbeciles".

In his column in Sydney's Daily Telegraph, Mr Hadley railed against the "socialist engineers masquerading as teachers who organised the left-leaning display", saying children "go to school for an education, not to be indoctrinated by rabid left-wingers".

Mr Slater and Mr Hadley also highlighted the fact children in the play held up a placard reading "Sorry" as an example of a political agenda being forced onto them.
The play came in a tense week for race relations in Australia, with a local council in Melbourne drawing flak from Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, among many others, for announcing it would abandon its traditional Australia Day celebrations on 26 January.

This was done out of respect for indigenous people, many of whom refer to the anniversary of the landing of the First Fleet in 1788 not as "Australia Day" but "Invasion Day".


Parents defend school

After the initial media flurry about the Forestville play, however, many parents from the school came out in support of the performance, saying schools should not shy away from the more troubling aspects of Australian history.

Nina Mapson Bone, who has a son in Year 3 at the school, said "discomfort should not be a reason not to teach our children about the facts of important events in Australia's history".

"The overwhelming majority of parents who saw the play did not think it was inappropriate," she told the BBC. "I haven't come across any other parents who agreed with that one angry parent.


"The play was factual, not political."

Ms Mapson Bone said what her son had learned from the play was the "compassion and understanding" that are essential in helping fix some of the issues relating to Aboriginal reconciliation in Australia.

She also said two of the most pointed allegations about the play were ill-based.
"The kids holding up the 'Sorry' sign were re-enacting scenes from when Kevin Rudd made his apology. It wasn't an agenda of the school," she said.

"And there were no nuns abusing children. They were teaching them. Later, the play did show kids being taken away from their parents, but there was no violence about it. It was mimed, and in a calm and peaceful way."

Ms Mapson Bone said parents had shown their backing for the school by taking morning tea to the teachers on Thursday, and signing a "huge" card of support. A school community Facebook page has also received more than 200 expressions of support.

"So grateful that the teachers… are teaching our children the true facts of our rich history," one student's grandmother wrote.

"Our Aboriginal people are grieving so much. Please acknowledge this fact. The children… will understand thanks to Forestville School's honesty!"

Parent Sinead Kennedy-Guy wrote: "It was just a play done with sensitivity and finesse. And it was based on the truth. For those that are sensitive to the truth, I say suck it up and move on."

In response to calls for an inquiry into the play, a spokesman for New South Wales Education Minister Rob Stokes told the BBC the department was "looking into the matter", and would make no further comment.

How a school play about Aboriginal history set off a row - BBC News

Christ, anyone might think the Aussies are not actually running concentration camps for their refugees.

Fuckers should have had their membership of the Commonwealth suspended.

Originally Posted by misskit

Some indigenous groups, however, say the main motivation was to put a swift end to Aboriginal culture.

because that was the plan - the proddy and cattle tick jihad was sweeping the world

The BBC article is titled:-

How a school play about Aboriginal history set off a row

but the thread is titled

Australia's shameful past

Is this artistic license misskit?

Originally Posted by David48atTD

No need to push a political agenda on the kids.

Originally Posted by David48atTD

By all means, learn the facts in a School History Class, warts and all ... the early settlers were no saints

I think you're contradicting yourself. If the events depicted were facts, then whats wrong with a school play depicting facts, warts and all?
I can recall us kids doing a play about Cook landing in Botany Bay....based on facts. Whats wrong with facts in a school play? The only people politicisng it are the right wing moaners making a fuss about it.

I really can't see this as "pushing a political agenda on kids". I really can't.

Pushing a political agenda on kids would be doing this play BEFORE the apology and acknowledgement, when the issue was political. But it's not now is it, now that Australia has acknowledged it's sins?
Or doing a skit about gay marriage. Once gay marriage is accepted and normal, it would no longer be political, would it? But doing the skit now would be pushing politics on kids.

Bunch of convicts. The Abo's black immigrant brothers will sort them out.

Originally Posted by Looper

The BBC article is titled:-

How a school play about Aboriginal history set off a row

but the thread is titled

Australia's shameful past

Is this artistic license misskit?

Naw. The headline on BBC Asia was actually "Australia's shameful past," which lead to the article title about the school play. I could have left off the first headline but couldn't miss the opportunity to troll a little bit.

Fok Me, here we go again.

So the Canadians and Seppos are coonts because they fuked up the Native Indians .

The Poms are coonts because they invaded every other foker around the globe including Australia.

Blame the Pommy filth for fuking up the Niggers, it's their fault innnit.

On second thoughts give those Englishmen a medal, those Niggers no good.

What is it that some stupid white folks who are always looking for shameful apologetic past events that occured before they where even born.
How many blacks keep on crying about their shameful past and continual shameful present behaviour . Oh they just blame the white fella. It's white fellas fault.

Originally Posted by misskit

"I don't think using five, six or seven-year-old kids is appropriate to push your own political agenda," he added.

+1

5/6/7 y/o is too young for complex political issues like the historical fostering of aboriginal children by white Australians.

The policy was well intentioned. It did cause a lot of pain and probably would have been better of it was not implemented.

But children in aboriginal communities even today suffer an order of magnitude more abuse than white Australian kids. It is a huge problem.

I doubt if this abuse is something that just started happening.

It has probably been going on since forever so who knows how much harm or possibly even good the fostering policy actually did on balance for the welfare of half aboriginal kids.

Anyway the point is this sort of stuff is not for 5/6/7 y/o kids. Maybe teenagers who are starting to get a grasp on more complex social issues.

Originally Posted by Looper

5/6/7 y/o is too young

Here:

However, the children presenting the Stolen Generations segment were from the nine-12 age bracket. Also, students from kindergarten to Year 4 did not watch that part of the play.

Originally Posted by David48atTD

F*ck that shite.

No need to push a political agenda on the kids.

Initial reports also said the play featured children dressed as nuns who were mentally and physically
abusing students playing Stolen Generations children.

By all means, learn the facts in a School History Class, warts and all ... the early settlers were no saints.

Indeed, there should be some form a remembrance at places of major historical events.
.

Here, it's all in the article:

She also said two of the most pointed allegations about the play were ill-based. "The kids holding up the 'Sorry' sign were re-enacting scenes from when Kevin Rudd made his apology. It wasn't an agenda of the school," she said.

"And there were no nuns abusing children. They were teaching them. Later, the play did show kids being taken away from their parents, but there was no violence about it. It was mimed, and in a calm and peaceful way."

Originally Posted by stroller

However, the children presenting the Stolen Generations segment were from the nine-12 age bracket.

Yeah whatever.

Still a bit too young I think.

Nobody mentions the fact that child abuse (physical and sexual) is rampant in aboriginal communities today.

It is a huge problem and I doubt it is something that just started happening.

How many kids escaped this abuse when they were taken into foster care under the policies of the early 20th century?

Ah, ok, that makes it alright then... darn libtard parents & teachers are distorting history.

Originally Posted by Looper

...is too young for complex political issues like the historical fostering of aboriginal children by white Australians.

It's not a political issue. It's history. Maybe it's the history of something political, but nonetheless, it's history.
Just as "Remember, remember the 5th of November". Guy Fawkes day. A political event remembered and celebrated by burning the guy on a bonfire....I'm sure you did that, as did I as a nipper in Sydney. History. No kid feels any political pressure from it.
Should US kids not learn about, and therefore do drama about, Martin Luther King? Keep that out of the school auditorium?

You guys are being silly to think that this school play is foisting politics on kids. It's not. It's history.

Originally Posted by stroller

Ah, ok, that makes it alright then... darn libtard parents & teachers are distorting history.

Are you sure as a Kraut you want to comment on other nations treatment of minorities?

It's all offending the children.
Of course it is.

Originally Posted by Maanaam

It's not a political issue. It's history. Maybe it's the history of something political, but nonetheless, it's history.

History is always open to interpretation and political spin in the way it is recounted. It is not the simple objective reality you are trying to paint.

I think there is an unhealthy political desire behind the motives for getting children to dramatise these particluar events.

The desire is to foster in the hearts of white Australians a sense of guilt at the success story that is modern Australia.

Modern Australia is a huge success story. A gigantic patch of dirt at the arse-end of the world has been turned into what is indisputably the most desirable country in the world to live in and the whole thing has been done in the blink of a eye. 2 short centuries.

The child fostering programme was well intentioned. It caused some emotional pain but it probably also saved a huge amount of anguish from kids who would have otherwise suffered the kind of child abuse that is rampant in aboriginal communities.

Originally Posted by AntRobertson

No shit.

*sigh*

^^^Hey don't blame me Ant.

Blame that closet troll MissKit!

She started it.

Originally Posted by Seekingasylum

Christ, anyone might think the Aussies are not actually running concentration camps for their refugees.

Fuckers should have had their membership of the Commonwealth suspended.

Pomeranians
should think twice before commenting on concentrations camps.