Week 8

Half Cast Act:

In particular, the 1886 act started to remove Aboriginal people of mixed descent, known as 'half-castes', from the Aboriginal stations or reserves to force them to assimilate into European society. These expulsions separated families and communities, causing distress and leading to protest. Nevertheless the Board refused to assist the expelled people. It was assumed that the expulsions would lead to the decline in the population of the reserves and their eventual closure. The failure of this policy and its inhumanity led to Victoria's Aborigines Act of 1910 and Aboriginal Lands Act of 1970, which abandoned this policy In two of my classes we recently discussed the term Half Cast and the life of a half cast human being. In my Australian Film, Theater, and Learning class we watched the movie Australia and our teacher emphasized the role of the half cast character. In the film the sheriffs and cattle drivers are constantly trying to move the half cast child to mission island in order to inevitably have the race die out. The child was treated and looked upon as less than a second class citizen. Mrs. Boss, the female protagonist in the film adopted the half cast child and members of the community viewed her as inferior for doing such a thing. It is disturbing to learn about the harsh living situations and aggressive tactics used in order to exterminate the race. Earlier today in my history lecture we had a guest lecturer who discussed many instances in which aboriginals were separated from their families and communities. In 2 of the 5 examples provided, the aboriginal women were taking advantage of, raped, and mistreated in a variety of ways. The more I learn about Australia the more I hate the countries origins. For a land of no worries, and everything is all good, there is an enormous stain in its history. Australians need to take a step back and realize how disgusting their past is.