The Habits Of New Norcia (2000)

The Habits Of New Norcia

2000

Documentary

Synopsis

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.

Credits

Director

Frank Rijavec

Cast

Geoff Gibbs as (voice)

Geoff Kelso as (voice)

Harry Taylor as Narrator

Nicole Bartlett as (voice)

Rita Pasqualini as (voice)

Crew

John Hughes (Commissioning Editor)

James Kerr (Director of Photography)