The Last Daughter

This is a gut-wrenching tale told in an understated, gracious manner. Brenda is so eloquent as she discusses the terrible injustices experienced by her and her two families. Such a devastating experience, common to too many First Nations people in Australia and across the world.

Brenda has now written a book and is currently touring to promote it. I hope to attend an upcoming event near me. Thank you for sharing your story- it took incredible courage to commence the journey into the past. My heart kept breaking for you and your loved ones.

All Australians should watch this film. Don't miss it.

This is a story / film that all Australians should see . Even if we think we know it , the pain caused to families Black and White needs to be heard again and again . But especially the unnecessary suffering inflicted on Aboriginal people . Black and White people lied to by government. I can imagine no greater pain than having my children taken away ... the lies are unforgivable .... Brenda has taken trauma and turned it into healing ... this film is a credit to her resilience. No wonder Aboriginal and people in general do not trust the government. The two families are the true heroes and of course Brenda.

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.

As a secondary school teacher I am glad to finally have a movie that is suitable for my classes. It is the well-paced and sensitively-handled story of Brenda and her search into the pasft or the truth tof her identity and what happened when she was young. It began with snippets of memories of a white sister and the bond they shared, that spurred her on.

I have so much respect for the dignity her birth parents demonstrated and the love shown her by her adoptive parents. The lasting impact of the Stolen Generation on families is so underestimated. I highly recommend this movie. It is one that can be shown in classrooms and is engaging from start to finish.

I am a New Zealander that lives in New Zealand. I didn't really know much about The Stolen Generation and made a decision when Rabbbit Proof Fence came out that I would not watch it because I would not be able to handle watching such atrocities. I managed to get through The Last Daughter and I am so glad I did. Sadness and loss on both sides. I am so glad Brenda was able to make this journey and was strong enough to see it through, to answer so many questions. So much ignorance led to so much hurt for so many years. Thankyou for opening ours eyes. I feel that when we visit Australia next I will have a far greater understanding of the country we are visiting.