In July 1931, A.O. Neville, the Chief Protector of Aborigines, ordered three girls taken from their mothers. A law from 1905 made him the legal guardian of every Indigenous child in the state, and it let him remove any child of mixed descent. His policy was called biological absorption, and it aimed to breed out the color of the Aboriginal population over several generations. The eldest of the girls was Molly, who was 14. With her were her cousin, 11, and her little sister, 8. They were living at a depot where men maintained a rabbit-proof fence. A constable came for them there. The girls were put on a ship and then a train, and carried more than 1,300 kilometres south, to a government settlement. The question was whether a 14-year-old could ever find the way back.
Rabbit-Proof Fence: Three Girls Walk Home
Three girls fled a government settlement in 1931 and followed a rabbit-proof fence on a 1,600 km walk home.
The Order
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was A.O. Neville and why did he order the girls removed?
A.O. Neville was Western Australia's Chief Protector of Aborigines. A law from 1905 made him legal guardian of every Indigenous child in the state. He used it to remove children of mixed descent under a policy of biological absorption.
How did the girls find their way without maps or compasses?
Molly knew her father had worked as a fence inspector at the depot. She worked out that the rabbit-proof fence would lead them home. The main fence line stretched 1,833 kilometres across the wilderness, and the girls followed its path to stay on course.
What happened to Gracie, Molly and Daisy after the walk?
Gracie was lured to a train station with a false story about her mother and sent back to the settlement. Molly and Daisy reached home and hid in the desert. Molly was recaptured in 1940, escaped again in 1941, and died in 2004 aged 87.
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