Australian
Screen

Teacher’s notes

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The clip shows footage and childhood photographs of brothers Vincent (Vinnie) and Aaron Pedersen, accompanied by a voice-over by Aaron who describes their troubled early life as wards of the state and how Vinnie, who required special assistance, looked to Aaron to care for him. Scenes from some of Aaron’s acting roles are intercut with footage of him talking about the difficulties of focusing on his career and looking after Vinnie with little support. The clip ends with footage of Vinnie and Mum Frances, Aaron’s partner’s mother, who insisted on helping the family by caring for Vinnie.

Educational value points

• Aaron Pedersen describes how he and his eight siblings including Vinnie were subjected to a childhood of neglect and violence and, as wards of the state, were placed in a succession of foster homes. Under the Child Welfare Ordinance 1958 (Northern Territory), a court could declare a child to be destitute or neglected, remove them from their family and place them in institutions or – increasingly in the 1970s – in foster care. In 1971 in the Northern Territory, 97 per cent of children in foster care were Indigenous.

• Aaron discusses how Vinnie, who has cerebral palsy and an intellectual disability, 'gave’ Aaron 'duty of care’ towards him. 'Duty of care’ is a legal term requiring that the person in the role of carer exercise the same care as a 'reasonable’ person would exercise in matters such as administering medication and helping with personal care, as well as in ensuring that the person under their care is not exposed to risk or danger.

• In the clip, while Aaron openly describes the challenges he faced as Vinnie’s carer – in particular how he was unable to access enough support and respite services to continue in that role – the brothers’ loving and caring relationship is apparent. Other members of the Pedersen family have taken care of Vinnie at various times, reflecting the traditional rights and obligations invested in the members of the extended Indigenous Australian family.

• The lives of brothers Aaron and Vinnie Pedersen illustrate that, although they have had difficult childhoods and Vinnie has the added difficulty of living with disabilities, they have creative and constructive lives. Vinnie, lovingly cared for by family members, has been given the opportunity to develop a sense of his own identity and place in the world. Aaron, relieved of some of the burden of caring for Vinnie when Mum Frances stepped in to help, has been able to focus more on his successful acting career.

• Vinnie has a form of cerebral palsy, a medical condition that makes it difficult for him to fully undertake the activities of daily life. Cerebral palsy is a term used to describe various non-progressive disorders of motor function in humans. Although the specific cause of most cases of cerebral palsy is unknown, the condition results from brain damage at or around the time of birth.

• In the clip, Vinnie presents as a person with a mild intellectual disability. This condition means that he is significantly challenged when it comes to understanding new or complex information, or when learning new skills. An intellectual disability may present as impaired intelligence, or as a reduced ability to cope independently in social situations. Intellectual disabilities often begin before adulthood and have a lasting effect on the development of the individual.

• The clip comes from the documentary My Brother Vinnie (2006), which received two nominations at the 12th National Deadly Awards (the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Music, Sport, Entertainment and Community Awards) in the Outstanding Achievement in Film or Television category; Aaron Pedersen was nominated for writing and Steve McGregor for direction. My Brother Vinnie has been screened at numerous film festivals in Australia.

• Aaron Pedersen (1973–) began his acting career in the 1994 television miniseries Heartland, which was followed by roles in television series including The Secret Life of Us and Water Rats. His feature films include Dead Heart (1996) and Dark Love Story (2006), and in 2003 he won the Male Actor of the Year Award at the 9th National Deadly Awards. Pedersen, who is of Arrernte and Arabana descent, has played both Indigenous and non-Indigenous characters in films and television.

This clip starts approximately 2 minutes into the documentary.

Aaron reads the paper while his brother Vinnie mows the lawn. Vinnie plays around, pretending to show off his muscles while addressing the camera crew.
Vinnie Pedersen I’ve been working harder last week!
An interview with Aaron begins to play over this footage.
Aaron Pedersen I’m just one year older than my brother. We’re both originally from Alice Springs — Arrernte country, desert rats. And we spent most of our childhood growing up in commission homes or in foster homes under the protection of the child welfare system as wards of the state — with our other brothers and sisters. There’s eight of us in total.

The interview with Aaron continues over still images of Aaron and Vinnie as children.
Aaron Pedersen From a young age I knew Vincent was special. He needed special care, special attention and it’s funny — he turned to me when we were very young and I don’t know how it happened but he gave me duty of care. I can honestly say I didn’t know what I was doing. I wish they had a book on it. I would’ve read it. And maybe things might have been different but they just don’t write books on this stuff.
We see Aaron acting in the feature film Dead Heart.
Vinnie was in Alice and I was down south, trying to carve out a career as an actor. I was still watching over him but I knew he was safe ‘cause our grandmother was there. But when our grandmother passed away in 1997 Vinnie had nowhere to go — so he came to live with me in Sydney.

In a scene from Dead Heart Aaron plays the part of Andy. Ray shoots at Andy as Andy dives for cover.
Ray Got your licence, Andy?
Andy Ray? Ray!

The interview with Aaron continues and is interspersed with footage of him appearing in the television drama Water Rats.
I was in a situation where support was limited on all fronts — family front, on government front, state front, doesn’t matter. The services weren’t there, I couldn’t find anybody to find supported residential services or respite so I could have a break. I’d reached a point where I thought, ‘You know what, mate? You’re not giving me much but you’re taking a lot and what you’re taking from me is my happiness and my spirit,’ and I was a mess. I really was a mess. And, you know, Mum Francis just said, ‘Alright, he’s gonna come and live with me,’ and I said, ‘Oh, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, that’s not going to happen.’ And she said, ‘Well, that’s none of your fucking business, Aaron, really. He’s coming to live with me.’

Mum Francis knocks on Vinnie’s bedroom door.
Mum Francis Hey, Vinnie? Vichenda. Wakey, wakey!
Vinnie I am awake, Mum.
Mum Francis Alright, well, start getting up and getting ready, eh?
Vinnie walks out of his bedroom.
Vinnie (addressing the camera crew) Good morning, fellas. How are ya?