The Last Daughter

This unit provides a powerful way for students to develop their knowledge and understanding about Australia's 'stolen children'. Through studying the inspiring and intimate feature-length documentary film, The Last Daughter, students follow Wiradjuri woman, Brenda Matthews, as she travels into her past to uncover the truth about her childhood. Brenda's first memories of growing up are with a loving white foster family before being returned to her Aboriginal family. With the support of both of her families, Brenda uncovers long-buried secrets, government lies, as well as the possibility for deeper connections to family and culture. Using clips from the film, historical and contemporary political texts, teachers will provide students with the educational resources needed to gain a sophisticated understanding of how Australia's government policies and actions have and continue to impact Australian and Torres Strait Islander peoples. 

Teachers and students will value the varied insights and perspectives featured in The Last Daughter. They will be well resourced to explore the complexity of Brenda Matthews' family's story and its direct correlation to periods of Australia's history, including the Stolen Generations. 

We recommend that this unit is delivered as a whole package and in sequence. The unit begins by facilitating discussion among students about the film and moves into exploring the historical political context the film's story comes from. Students also draw a correlation between the individual story of The Last Daughter and the broader socio political Australian landscape in relation to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The unit ends with students considering what they can do to be allies to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. 

Accessing the Film

Teachers should watch The Last Daughter (2022) so they are familiar with the narrative, characters and content. Teachers wanting to watch The Last Daughter in the classroom with their students can register and purchase the film here.

Watching the film as a class helps contextualise the lessons, but each lesson features clips from the film to reinforce the context of learning, meaning the lessons can stand alone without the film.

Cool Australia would like to thank Australians Together for supporting the development of these lessons. Australians Together is a not-for-profit organisation that brings together non-Indigenous and First Nations staff, consultants and collaborators located across Australia. Their mission is to help non-Indigenous Australians listen and learn from First Nations people. Building a greater awareness of our shared history and its ongoing impact, gain a deeper respect for First Nations perspectives, and help pave the way for meaningful actions for an Australia together. You can learn more about Australians Together and their Learning Framework  here.