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Clip description
On the train, Harry Saunders (David Ngoombujarra) introduces himself to Thomas Green (Glenn Shea), his wife Maude (Kylie Belling) and daughter Sophia (Rose Kirby). Maude gets angry with Harry, and tells both men that black men fighting in the War won’t make any difference, and that there still won’t be equality.
Curator’s notes
The Restriction of the Sale of Opium and Protection of Aboriginals Act from 1897 to 1971 positioned Aboriginal people as non-citizens in Australia, and while it is estimated that at least 3,000 Aboriginal men and women served in the Second World War, Aboriginal people were still being discriminated against in their homeland. Aboriginal diggers found themselves subjected to laws that vilified them in accordance with the Restriction of the Sale of Opium and Protection of Aboriginals Act from 1897 to 1971 even though they had fought for their country. However, the social injustice experienced by Aboriginal people was considered less important than defending the country against external threat.
