The Rabbit Proof Fence - Doris Pilkington

The Rabbit Proof Fence
Doris Pilkington

Set during one of the darkest periods of Aboriginal and white Australian history, "Rabbit Proof Fence" follows the lives of three Aboriginal 'half cast' girls who are taken from their families and placed in the Moore River Native Settlement north of Perth, some 1,600 kilometres away from their home. Most Aboriginal children placed in such institutions never saw their families again. However feeling displaced and imprisoned the girls escape their compound and follow the Rabbit proof fence back to their homes.


Rabbit Proof Fence although a very important account of 'The stolen Generation', falls short in evoking the emotions that such a story deserves. Pilkington may have been better off co-writing the book with a professional writer better skilled in tapping into the emotions that instill empathy with the subject matter. All the same, the stolen generation is a tragic and evocative chapter in the Australian history deserving of attention through stories such as The Rabbit Proof Fence. These persoanl accounts not only illustrate the effects of the white man's law on the Aboriginal communities but hopefully encourage us to avoid the same mistakes to be repeated.