983800
983800

The Habits Of New Norcia

"An orphanage without orphans. A story told by the inmates themselves."

2000-01-01 en 53m
Documentary
The stories in The Habits of New Norcia are told by former Western Australian Aboriginal child 'inmates' of the New Norcia Benedictine Mission who were separated from their families in the 1940s, 50s and 60s and confined in this "orphanage without orphans". In recent decades the New Norcia Monastery has been packaged as one of the State's leading cultural tourist attractions. "A unique blend of Spanish architecture, European art treasures and pioneer history," "Monks, Music & Mystery," "New Norcia, Australia's only monastic town," the brochures announce. Aboriginal testimony in the film challenges this revised and sanitised history. The documentary provides damming evidence of the continuing violence of the Mission against its victims by deliberate omission of their experience in the New Norcia museum, guided tours, art gallery and promotions — an omission that represents a cruel and wounding cover-up.

Director

Frank Rijavec

Researcher

Frank Rijavec

Researcher

Harry Taylor

Producer

Carmelo Musca

Commissioning Editor

John Hughes

Writer

Frank Rijavec

stolen generation noongar benedictine monk spanish mission western australia

Status

Released

Countries

  • Australia

Companies

  • CM Film Productions
  • Australian Film Finance Corporation
  • SBS Independent
  • Seaflower Holdings Pty. Ltd.