This is the true story of two families of lovely, innocent people whose lives have been ruined by government policies of taking aboriginal children from their mothers. At the centre is Brenda, charged at the age of 2 years with being a neglected child, grabbed by authorities without warning, separated from her brothers and sisters and placed in foster care with a well-meaning white family. Then, after several years of inclusion with her new parents and siblings, she was abruptly separated from them without further contact and returned to her original family.
Grief, loss and separation permeate the lives of all involved, leaving it to the adult Brenda to reconcile the damaged lives of both families and herself. Brenda's first memories were of growing up in a loving white family. Decades later she feels disconnected from both halves of her life. Naturally, this is a story saturated with emotions and hurt. Hearts all round have been broken and two families torn apart.
Brenda's efforts to repair the harm to all her loved ones unearth records that show the failings and lies of the welfare department through her sorry young life.
The Last Daughter is a documentary about Brenda's journey to find the truth of a part of our history that has been swept under the carpet. So much has been irretrievably lost by so many, all victims of the Australian government's genocidal policies to eradicate the First Nations. The further worry is that while this story starts in the 1970s, it is not even consigned to the past, with the taking of aboriginal children continuing today.
