Close to the Bone (ATOM Study Guide)

In September 1852, in South Australia’s Flinders Ranges, the body of sixteen-year-old shepherd James Brown was found, mutilated and castrated. The next day, a reprisal party of seventeen men pursued a flock of stolen sheep and killed a disputed number of First Nations people. Almost 170 years later, descendants of James Brown’s family return to the Flinders Ranges to reach out to people from some of the Aboriginal groups that share memories from this traumatic early period of European invasion.

Close to the Bone is a practical exercise in ‘truth and reconciliation’, engaging with culturally and politically challenging material in an effort to forge shared understandings. The film reveals diverse understandings of historic events while seeking to resolve a shared path forward. In doing so, the film is informed by Charlie Perkins’ immortal words: ‘We know we cannot live in the past, but the past lives in us.’

Curriculum Links:

Close to the Bone can be linked to the following subject areas within the Australian Curriculum:

• Year 11 Modern History
• Year 10 History
• Civics and Citizenship

Please note this list is not exhaustive. Teachers are encouraged to find other links using cross-curriculum proprieties for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories.