''Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence'' is an Australian book by

Doris Pilkington Doris Pilkington Garimara (born Nugi Garimara; c. 1 July 1937 – 10 April 2014), also known as Doris Pilkington, was an Australian author. Garimara wrote ''Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence'' (1996), a story about the stolen generation, and base ...

, published in 1996. Based on a true story, the book is a personal account of an

Indigenous Australian Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

family's experiences as members of the Stolen Generation—the forced removal of mixed-race children from their families during the early 20th century. It tells the story of three young Aboriginal girls: Molly (the author's mother), Daisy (Molly's half-sister), and Gracie (their cousin), who are forcibly removed from their families at

Jigalong Jigalong is a remote Aboriginal community of approximately 333 people located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Location Jigalong is in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, approximately east of the town of Newman in the Shire ...

and taken to

Moore River Moore River is a river in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia. Geography The headwaters of the Moore River lie in the Perenjori, Carnamah and Dalwallinu Shires. The river then drains southwards through Moora, flows westerly before j ...

, but escape from the government settlement in 1931 and then trek over home by following the

rabbit-proof fence The State Barrier Fence of Western Australia, formerly known as the Rabbit-Proof Fence, the State Vermin Fence, and the Emu Fence, is a pest-exclusion fence constructed between 1901 and 1907 to keep rabbits, and other agricultural pests from th ...

, a massive

pest-exclusion fence 280px, Xcluder pest-exclusion fence around perimeter of Maungatautari A pest-exclusion fence is a barrier that is built to exclude certain types of animal pests from an enclosure. This may be to protect plants in horticulture, preserve grass ...

that crossed

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

from north to south. The book was adapted into a film, ''

Rabbit-Proof Fence The State Barrier Fence of Western Australia, formerly known as the Rabbit-Proof Fence, the State Vermin Fence, and the Emu Fence, is a pest-exclusion fence constructed between 1901 and 1907 to keep rabbits, and other agricultural pests from th ...

'', in 2002.

Doris Pilkington

Doris Pilkington had spent much of her early life, from the age of four, at the

Moore River Native Settlement The Moore River Native Settlement was the name of the now defunct Aboriginal Australians, Aboriginal settlement and internment camp located north of Perth and west of Mogumber, Western Australia, Mogumber in Western Australia, near the Source ...

, the same facility the book chronicles her mother's, aunt's, and cousin's escape from as children. After reuniting with her family 21 years later, Pilkington says she did not talk to her mother much, and she was not aware of her mother's captivity at Moore River nor of her escape, until her

Aunt Daisy Maud Ruby Basham (née Taylor; 30 August 1879 – 14 July 1963), usually known as Daisy Basham or professionally as Aunt Daisy, was a New Zealand radio broadcaster from 1930 to 1963. Her various nicknames included "New Zealand's First Lady of ...

told her the story. While repeating the tale at an Aboriginal family history event in

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

, one of the attendees told Pilkington he was aware of the story and that the case was fairly well documented. He gave her some documents and clippings that formed the factual backbone of the story on which Pilkington based a first draft. Pilkington submitted the draft to a publisher in 1985 but was told it was too much like an academic paper and that she should try her hand at writing fiction. Her first novel, ''Caprice, A Stockman's Daughter'', won the

David Unaipon David Ngunaitponi (28 September 1872 – 7 February 1967), known as David Unaipon, was an Aboriginal Australian man of the Ngarrindjeri people. He was a preacher, inventor and author. Unaipon's contribution to Australian society helped to bre ...

Literary Award and was published in 1990 by the

University of Queensland Press Established in 1948, University of Queensland Press (UQP) is an Australian publishing house. Founded as a traditional university press, UQP has since branched into publishing books for general readers in the areas of fiction, non-fiction, poetr ...

. Pilkington then rewrote and filled out ''Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence'' following several years of interviewing her mother and aunt, and it was published in 1996. A third book in the trilogy was ''Under the Wintamarra Tree'' (2002). Pilkington also wrote an adaptation of ''Rabbit-Proof Fence'' for children called ''Home to Mother'' (2006).

Summary

Molly, her half-sister Daisy, and their cousin Gracie are taken to Moore River for schooling to become more like white people and to eventually be taken to a (more) rural part of Western Australia. The girls escape from the settlement and take the walk home along the rabbit-proof fence.Matheo, Demetrios
The long walk home
''

The Daily Telegraph along the rabbit-proof fence. ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'', 1 September 2002.

Film adaptation

Shortly after the book's publication, the film rights were obtained by scriptwriter Christine Olsen, who wrote the script and was persistent in her pitching of the film to Hollywood-based Australian director

Phillip Noyce Phillip Noyce (born 29 April 1950) is an Australian filmmaker. Since 1977, he has directed over 19 feature films in various genres, including historical drama (''Newsfront'', ''Rabbit-Proof Fence'', ''The Quiet American''); thrillers (''Dead Cal ...

. Noyce agreed to direct the film, which was released in 2002 and starred

Everlyn Sampi Everlyn Lee Marie Sampi (born 6 October 1988) is an Australian actress. She is of Bardi Australian Aboriginal and Scottish descent. Sampi starred in the 2002 film ''Rabbit-Proof Fence'', as child of the stolen generation Molly Craig. The ...

as Molly and British actor

Kenneth Branagh Sir Kenneth Charles Branagh (; born 10 December 1960) is a British actor and filmmaker. Branagh trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and has served as its president since 2015. He has won an Academy Award, four BAFTAs (plus t ...

as Neville, the

Chief Protector of Aborigines The role of Protector of Aborigines was first established in South Australia in 1836. The role became established in other parts of Australia pursuant to a recommendation contained in the ''Report of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Abori ...

References

{{reflist 1996 non-fiction books Australian non-fiction books Books about indigenous rights Books about survival skills Books about Indigenous Australians Books about Western Australia Biographies adapted into films