Rosie (ATOM Study Guide)

Rosie is a gripping and compelling documentary suitable for secondary students exploring the experiences of Indigenous children who were removed from their homes, portrayed through the experiences of Rosalie Fraser, an Aboriginal child who was removed from her family at the age of two. Narrated by the adult Rosie, the film uses a combination of flashbacks, re-enactments, photos and commentary to powerfully convey the trauma of confusion, loss and dislocation experienced by Rosie and so many other Aboriginal children who, for various reasons, did not grow up with their natural families. Rosalie was removed from her family by the Western Australian Child Welfare Department and made a ward of the state. Placed in foster care in the home of alcoholic Mrs Kelly, Rosie and her sister suffer physical and mental abuse but also experience their foster mother's genuine love and affection. When the abuse became too much to bear, Rosalie ran away, moving from hostel to new foster family and ultimately returning to the Kelly home when she was fourteen years old and pregnant. Rosalie went on to finding a strong and lasting relationship with a young Aboriginal man with whom she had four children. Rosalie found her way to resolving the issues and traumas of her childhood through writing.

'I was able to rationalise by writing, because all the pain and the trauma and the experiences that I had had were just coming through the tip of the pen.'

The study guide provides resources to develop an understanding of the history of the forcible separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, and associated historical and social justice issues.

Curriculum Links:
Rosie will be relevant to teachers and students, both as a cross curriculum resource and in the following subject areas:

• SOSE / HSIE
• Media Studies
• Indigenous Studies
• Australian History