And what do you think you might be up to?
Thieving my eggs, eh?
You come out here where I can see you.
Come on. Stand up.
Out you come.
And get rid of that bread.
It's filthy.
You want something to eat, you ask for it.
Come on.
I'm not going to bite you.
Are you on your own?
Hmm?
Got anyone with you?
There you are.
Where are you girls planning on going?
Cat got your tongue, eh?
Now get!
Go on.
And watch out for those boys further along.
They go out hunting rabbits along the fence.
That rabbit-proof fence?
Yes, the rabbit-proof fence.
Where that rabbit fence?
East.
(HAUNTING SOUNDSCAPE)
Which way now?
That way.
That fence.
Find that rabbit fence, we go home.
Then we see our mum.
(HAUNTING ABORIGINAL SINGING)
(Reads) "The Chief Protector of Aborigines, Mr A.O. Neville..."
ALL: The devil!
"...is concerned about three native girls
"ranging from eight to fourteen years of age
"who a month ago
"ran away from the Moore River Native Settlement."
(AII cheer)
"He would be grateful if any person...who saw them
"would notify him...promptly.
"We have been searching high and low for the children
"for a month past,' added Mr Neville.
"And all the trace we found of them was a dead rabbit."'
(DESOLATE SOUNDSCAPE)
(Whistles)
It's the fence! It's the fence! She found it!
(EMOTIVE MUSIC)
Now, the latest sighting which is four days old is...
The man from the newspaper. I have nothing more to say!
May I have a look?
Dalwallinu. Yes?
Bunnawarra.
Yalgoo.
Dalwallinu.
Bunnawarra. Yalgoo.
Dalwallinu, Bunnawarra, Yalgoo.
They're on the fence.
They're following the rabbit-proof fence.
Right.
Just because people use Neolithic tools, Inspector,
does not mean they have Neolithic minds.
This makes our task very much easier.
Look. There's a branch off here to the west, north of Yalgoo.
Now, you put your man out here on the fence
and north of this junction.
He can start to come down it to meet them.
I'll have Moodoo come up from the south behind them.
(MENACING MUSIC)
We can't miss them.
Where Daisy?
Wait here.
My legs, Molly.
They hurt. I can't walk.
I'll carry you only once, alright?
Come on.
Don't think I'm carrying you all the way.
(HORSE SNORTS)
Camp, Molly.
Damn me.
Where are you girls headed?
Going to Mullewa?
Got family there?
Where Mullewa?
Mullewa?
West.
The way you're headed along the number two fence.
Are there two rabbit- proof fence?
My oath.
We've got three of them.
We're on the wrong fence.
Where the north fence?
North fence - back that way where you come from.
You can cut across.
I'll show you.
Number one rabbit fence.
Here's the number two fence.
Now, you're here.
But you want to be here.
Now, if you cut across here...
...you save yourself 100 mile or so.
It's not hard.
I'm going back.
I don't have the petrol.
(FAINT MUSIC)
(Whistles)
Hey, we're hungry.
Are youse that lot from Moore River?
Yeah.
What - you girls walk all that way?
Yeah.
800 miles?
I was there.
Too scared to run away, but.
Everyone was always caught, stuck in that boob.
Youse got the furtherest.
Where you heading?
Home.
WOMAN: Mavis!
Stay here.
I'll come back and get you.
Sleep with me. I'll get you some food.
Just getting the washing, Mrs Evans!
(FOOTSTEPS)
Shh! What's that?
There's someone coming.
Quick, quick, into bed.
Hide under the blankets.
(LATCH CLATTERS)
(AII gasp)
Mavis.
Go away. Don't worry about that!
Come on, quick. Get up. Get up! Come on!
Shh, shh, shh. (DOOR SHUTS)
Don't go, Molly.
Please don't go.
He come back if you go.
Don't go.
He won't say anything.
Please.
(CAR APPROACHES)
Hello, Evans.
MRS EVANS: Hello. Mrs Evans.
Quick! Wake up. Wake up. You got to go.
Let's have a look.
Out that way. Just keep going.
(TENSE MUSIC)
They were running out over there about an hour or so ago.
We'll pick up their tracks in the morning.
I'll make a cup of tea.
That's the tracker.
(DOGS BARK FEROCIOUSL Y)
Yeah, that's him.
(TENSE MUSIC)
Hop on.
(UNEASY MUSIC)
I do not expect you to understand
what I am trying to do for these people.
But I'll not have my plans jeopardised.
The problem of half-castes is not simply going to go away.
If it is not dealt with now,
it will fester for years to come.
These children are that problem.
Please explain exactly what happened.
I don't know how they did it, but we lost them.
I had Larsen out there. Moodoo was with him.
They're making right fools of us.
They are indeed, Inspector.
And the cost is more than to just our pride.
This department's reputation is beginning to suffer.
My men have better things to do
than chase your charges all around the country.
Now...
...they're coming into very rough terrain.
Once they're much past Meekatharra,
I can't risk any of my men.
Yes, we must find them before they reach real desert country.
So this is what we're going to do.
You get your man up there. Moodoo can join him.
Well up the fence - around here.
Far enough up so we know we cannot possibly miss them.
And I want them to stay there.
They can set up camp and wait.
Costly.
Well, we'll just have to bear it.
Their lives may be at stake.
Inspector, I understand the mother of one of the girls
has gone to Wiluna.
The children are headed into that country.
I want the word spread.
Let's see what that does.
You wouldn't get me out there.
She's pretty clever, that girl.
She wants to go home.
Good thing you kids ran into me.
A lot of people worried for you.
The police are up and down the country looking for youse.
It's in all the papers.
Which one of you is Gracie?
Are you Gracie?
I hear your mummy in Wiluna.
You can catch a train there from Meeka.
Come on.
Let's go.
Wiluna - is she at Wiluna?
Yes.
Come on, Gracie.
Don't listen to him.
He's a liar.
Maybe she there, Molly.
Maybe he telling the truth.
Molly.
Let's go to Meeka, catch a train to Wiluna.
If they see us, they'll catch us.
We can't stop now.
We must keep going.
We're nearly there.
But, Molly, Mummy there.
She at Wiluna.
I want Mummy.
Come on.
Come on, Daisy.
You have to carry me, Molly.
Hop on.
She not coming.
Don't look back. Don't look back. She'll come.
(TROUBLED MUSIC)
Higher.
You got them?
Three!
One for you, one for me and one for both of us.
Mmm!
(PENSIVE MUSIC)
Come on, Dais.
We've got to go back for Gracie.
Go!
(Men laugh)
What are you going to do - sell the thing?
(Whistles)
I've got her!
I want to get the train to Mummy!
This is one of them. She thinks her mummy's there.
Gracie.
Oi! Grab her!
Hey!
Gotcha!
You're not going anywhere. Now, get in that car now.
Thanks, Jacky.
There will be a shilling for you back at the station.
I'm taking you back where you belong.
(SAD MUSIC)
She gone, Molly?
She not coming back?
Needle in a haystack.
Well, that's it.
Pack your stuff. We're getting out of here.
They're only paying us for three weeks.
(CURLEWS CRY)
To Constable Riggs, Police Station, Nullagine.
The two missing half-caste girls, Molly and Daisy,
are returning to Jigalong via the rabbit- proof fence,
our efforts to apprehend them thus far having come to nought.
I therefore expect them to arrive in Jigalong
in about a month's time.
In your capacity as local protector,
you are to proceed to Jigalong to await their arrival
and effect their recapture.
Yours, etc.
(SUBDUED MUSIC)
No fence.
I want Mother.
The fence will come back.
(OTHER-WORLDL Y MUSIC)
(BLEAK MUSIC)
(SOFT ABORIGINAL SINGING)
(Sings)
(BIRD CAWS)
(SOARING MUSIC)
(HAUNTING MUSIC)
Home.
(Grunts)
WOMAN: It's coming through now.
"Riggs arrived Jigalong.
"Awaits your instructions."
Yes, there will be a reply. Please wait.
(Man reads) "Girl is to be sent south, via Meekatharra,
"to be accompanied at all times.
"Awaiting notification."
(DISTANT SINGING)
What's all that about?
Just some women's business.
Been going on all day.
Hey, Molly. Yeah?
That tracker, he not going to get us now.
Nah, he's not going to get us.
(SINGING GROWS LOUDER)
I'm not going to stay here. I can feel it.
They're up to something.
I'm going to go take a look.
(Women sing)
(Man speaks Aboriginal language)
(Women sing)
(BIRD SQUAWKS)
(BIRD CAWS)
(Whistles bird call)
(Puffs, giggles)
(Sobs)
I lost one... (Sniffs) ...I lost one.
(Sobs)
(GENTLE MUSIC)
NEVILLE: To Constable Riggs,
Police Station, Nullagine.
At present, we lack the funds
to pursue the missing half-caste girls,
Molly and Daisy.
I would ask
to be kept informed of their whereabouts,
so that at some future date, they may indeed be...recovered.
We face an uphill battle with these people...
...especially the bush natives,
who have to be protected against themselves.
If they would only understand
what we are trying to do for them.
Yours, etc.
Thank you.