Series 6 A STUDY GUIDE BY PAULETTE GITTINS http://www.metromagazine.com.au ISBN: 978-1-74295-477-6 http://www.theeducationshop.com.au Finding their story: Eight Australians play detective! SBS Australia Serendipity Productions and Artemis International in association with Screen Australia, ScreenWest & Lotterywest present WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? SERIES SIX Series Producer: BERNICE TONI Line Producer: ROBIN EASTWOOD SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 © ATOM SCREEN EDUCATION Executive Producers for Artemis International: CELIA TAIT & BRIAN BEATON Executive Producer for Serendipity Productions: MARGIE BRYANT 2 WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? Series 6 INTRODUCTION TV presenter and broadcaster Andrew Denton discovers the depth of his Jewish lineage, and delves into one of the ‘The past is a foreign country. They do darkest chapters in human history. But the talent, enter- prise, risk-taking and above all, the love of books and writ- things differently there.’ ing of this family, he realises, has clearly impacted upon the person he is today. He also learns of a possible connection So begins L.P. Hartley’s novel of his Edwardian childhood, to one of the best-known figures in the Bible. The Go-between, in which Leo, the protagonist, reminisces and reflects upon a past world, of class and gender dis- Actress Rebecca Gibney searches for the reasons behind tinctions, of rigid social conventions, of the innocence of her family’s troubled past, bringing a dark secret to light, childhood and its loss, and family life (or its absence), and, to heal a long-standing family wound. She also discovers of course the approach of a new century. The past, he an ancestor who played a role in New Zealand’s forgotten sadly concedes, has made him the solitary, psychologically tragedy. scarred older man he has become. Actress Jacki Weaver never knew her Grandma. Jacki’s Was the world so different then from what it is now? How dad Arthur was a ward of the state and she doesn’t know might our past impact upon us? Do you think it’s important anything about his biological family – except for his moth- to know who your ancestors were? Why? Might what we er’s name. Jacki wants to know who her Grandmother was discover change our lives today? and why she had to give up her baby. Well, we’re are about to find the answers to these questions Actor Richard Roxburgh discovers his family’s footprints for some well-known Australians: beloved and iconic celebri- in an unexpected corner of the world, finding two ancestors ties Andrew Denton, Rebecca Gibney, Jacki Weaver, Richard on opposite sides of the fierce struggle over slavery. In a Roxburgh, Amanda Keller, Adam Goodes, Lisa McCune and cruel and unjust world, he finds a courageous figure giving Paul McDermott. Taking us to all corners of the world, they hope and guidance to the oppressed. will be ‘playing detective’ in tracing their family trees back into the historic past, seeking to find the definitive answer to TV and radio host Amanda Keller discovers her bloodline where they came from. Their journeys will take them from the has survived against all odds; finding an ancestor who former Russian Empire to the Promised Land, from the fallen faced hell on earth in Australia’s most brutal prison and a Colonial glory of the Caribbean to Australia’s near neighbour. mother fighting to save her family in the face of tragedy. And across six vast Australian states and one territory. Australian of the Year and AFL star Adam Goodes investi- Along the way, secrets are uncovered and struggles over- gates his long-lost Aboriginal heritage, uncovering a royal come, but most of all, each person is going to discover that bloodline and a 19th century mining magnate in his family the stories of individuals are inextricably linked to the story tree. On a quest to learn about his ancestors’ culture he 2014 © ATOM SCREEN EDUCATION of the nation – that their identity, just like all of ours, is part of journeys deep into the remote Flinders Ranges and finds Australia’s identity. evidence of their lives from thousands of years ago. Combining emotional personal journeys with big-picture Actress Lisa McCune uncovers a sensational Gold Rush history, these are inspiring, sometimes challenging stories murder and learns the tragic secret behind her own father’s which remind us how we’ve come to be the people that we childhood. are today. 3 Series 6 INTRODUCTION On the trail of his ancestors, entertainer Paul McDermott Apparently, family history is one of the most popular par- delves into the mystery behind his mother’s adoption and ticipation hobbies across the world. Some people say that the cruelly brief lives and loves of his ancestors. He also it’s the second most popular use of the internet. And, to uncovers a tale of hard times and great expectations in illustrate the interest in the subject, there’s a Google search colonial Adelaide. which says, for the word ‘genealogy’, there are over a hundred million entries. The online service Ancestry.com.au So welcome to tales of scandal and scholarship, pioneers commissioned a survey at the end of 2006 which showed and bushrangers, artists and royalty, heroes and villains. that 83 per cent of Australians claim to be interested in Welcome to Series Six of the celebrated genealogy se- tracing their family history. ries Who Do You Think You Are? – exploring the family his- tory of another selection of high profile Australians. However, even though this appears to be quite a wide- spread interest, the depth of people’s knowledge is a little Who Do You Think You Are? is an adaptation of the BBC more limited. For instance, the average Australian’s knowl- series of the same name, airing on SBS One. SBS first aired edge of their families only goes back to the 1860s, and 29 six episodes of the BBC series in late 2007, followed by per cent of people didn’t know where their grandparents six Australian episodes beginning 13 January 2008, and were born. Similarly, 41 per cent of people under the age of then six more from the original BBC version. Each episode 25 didn’t know when their family first arrived in Australia. profiles a celebrity tracing their family tree, and is narrated by Richard Mellick. It’s fair to say that people often come to family history somewhat later in life. The reasons for people’s interest in The success of the series led to SBS One and the National the subject are many and varied. Some people have sug- Archives of Australia jointly organising a Shake Your Family gested that the breakup of the family unit as children move Tree Day on 27 February 2008, to promote an interest in away from the family homes, people not having so many genealogy. SBS One renewed the series for a sixth series children in the first place. Not too many people today are on 29 August 2012. born, married, and die in the same place, as would have been the case 100 to 150 years ago, or even earlier. Why do so many of us want to find So the breakup of the family unit is one impetus for people. out about our past history, to trace They want to find out how they belong, where they come from, how their family fits into the society into which it was our family tree? living. To begin to answer to this question, we should listen to Other people are simply curious and enjoy ferreting around Andrew Denton, musing on this question: and finding out what they can about people, albeit, usually 2014 © ATOM SCREEN EDUCATION ones long departed. Some people have a medical interest As you get older, you get curious about where is your place in the subject, want to find out about some genetic pro- in the universe? We’re all impermanent and I think there pensities, want to find out about deaths, death certificates, comes a point in everybody’s life, no matter what your belief causes of deaths and those sorts of things. structure is where, somehow or other, you have to try and fix yourself in time, fix yourself in space and the only way to And others have just interesting family stories that have do that is to find your story and make sense of it... been passed on to them by grandparents about being 4 Series 6 INTRODUCTION descendents of Captain Cook, or grandfather being a cock- ney, or illegitimate children, lost money, all sorts of family stories that get passed on from generation to generation. This study guide aims to: And it’s very much a detective story, putting the assump- • Introduce us to the personal histories of a se- tions together, proving your findings. Some people also lection of prominent Australians with a view to describe it as a jigsaw puzzle, where you don’t know what teaching us the value and impact of tracing one’s the picture is, nor how many pieces there are, or how many ancestry; you’ve got. And none of them have straight edges. • Show us the varied backgrounds of Australians Up until the 1970s tracing of ancestry was very much an which illustrates and reinforces the principles and affair of well-to-do families, landed families, nobility and ethos of multiculturalism in Australia; gentry. People wouldn’t have thought about tracing the ordinary ancestry of an agricultural labourer or convict.But • Illustrate how societal attitudes, views and values attitudes toward our ancestors have also changed.