Reclaiming a GenerationThey're called the Stolen Generation, thousands of Aboriginal children taken from their homes, some under the guise that they were being neglected and still others under the pretense that their people were destined to die out, and placed with white families in Australia. Separated from their people and their culture, it was a practice that started in the 1880s and didn't officially end till the 1970s.  Artist Pamela Croft sorts through some of her pictures. (courtesy Matt Ruggles) What started as a short documentary called An Artist's Journey, about a community art project, soon became much more, as Pamela opened up to Ruggles. In bits and pieces she revealed to Ruggles the little known story of the Stolen Generation and her own personal journey to use art to reconnect with her Aboriginal roots. Told for years that she was unwanted, Pamela didn't know why her mother Edie -Pamela's father had long since disappeared - had abandoned her. Telling an oft-repeated story among the Stolen Generation, Edie said she didn't willingly give up Pamela, but was coerced by child protective services. They threatened to take Pamela away if Edie didn't relinquish parental rights. Fearing that she would never again see Pamela if her daughter became a ward of the state, Edie reluctantly gave Pamela up. At the age of 6 Pamela was adopted by her caregivers and Edie was promised she could visit Pamela once a year. Till the age of 18, Pamela's adopted parents raised her as a Christian fundamentalist - spending upwards of twelve hours, 10 in the morning till 10 at night, in church on Sundays. Rigidly structuring and controlling her life, they told Pamela derogatory stories about her mother, cut off any ties she may have had with her Aboriginal roots. After Ruggles had completed work on An Artist's Journey, he began pre-production and raising the money for a feature documentary that would follow Pamela as she tried to reconnect with her mother, called Back to Brisbane.  Matt Ruggles (right) with Pamela at a former student's art exhibition. (courtesy Matt Ruggles) Ruggles and his editor James Magilocca, who also edited An Artist's Journey, are sifting through the footage, looking for the story. Ruggles hopes to have the film ready for submission to Sundance next year. And he's eager for the film to screen at the Brisbane International Film Festival. Listening to Ruggles talk about this project you immediately understand how important getting Pamela's story right is to him. She's been candid and entrusted Ruggles with even the most intimate details of her journey. Telling Pamela's story is also telling the story of the Stolen Generation. For every Pamela, there are hundreds if not thousands of stories and family connections that have been forever lost. While mother and daughter have been reunited, the years apart have created a seemingly insurmountable obstacle. Even living a mere 100 yards a part, they might as well be living on opposite sides of the continent. According to Ruggles, Pamela's and Edie's personalities are just too different, combined with the lies and years of manipulation, the past maybe too difficult to untangle. Emotionally invested in Pamela's story, Ruggles is still hoping for a storybook ending. One in which Edie and Pamela are able to be whole again, but, he's already prepared himself. Edie isn't a young single mother anymore and time is slowly running out. For more information and to view the trailer visit http://backtobrisbane.com/ Charles Judson is a local screen & comic book writer and a regular contributor and film critic for CinemATL. |
