Reviewed by Tim Milfull

The subject of Australia's original inhabitants is one that is dear to many hearts, and stirs conflict and controversy in others. Therefore a grand project with aims to summarise their story in just over six hours is ambitious and fraught with risks. What stories does one focus on, and how are other stories set aside without drawing the ire of various family members and other stakeholders? Fortunately in the hands of indigenous directors Rachel Perkins and Beck Cole, First Australians: The Untold Story of Australia is a profound experience that treads along deeply emotional territory with carefully researched and balanced steps.

Drawing on the expertise and personal experiences of historians and indigenous figures including Marcia Langton, Bruce Pascoe, and others, and working with accomplished writers like Louis Nowra, Perkins and Cole chose a series of key events and personalities that achieved prominence in Australian society after the British arrived in 1770. The first episode concentrates on the complex and doomed relationship between Governor Phillip and the warrior Bennelong, who was kidnapped and pressed into service as a diplomat and negotiator between the British and the Australians. Bennelong’s tragic story sets the tone for the entire series, encapsulating the heartache that has visited an entire nation of original inhabitants.

Perkins and Cole use a combination of talking heads and archival material to tell their story, and it is easy to understand the frustration and anger that simmer under the words of Langton and others. There are stories of dreadful massacres, failed negotiations, and cynical betrayals, that are only occasionally refuted by interactions with compassionate settlers or advocates, and of course, Prime Minister Rudd's long-awaited apology.

But one of the enduring themes throughout the series focuses on the strength and dignity of individuals who stepped forward as representatives and fought long battles for their people; from Bennelong to Australia's own Barak, who struggled long and hard against the office of the Chief Protector of Aborigines, to groundbreaking politician Charlie Perkins who walked alongside Langton herself. The series finishes with the saga of the awe-inspiring Koiki 'Eddie' Mabo, whose life-long efforts and advocacy for his people changed Australian law and politics immeasurably.

Few viewers of this very impressive and poignant series will walk away claiming they learned nothing from the experience, and the work of Perkins, Cole and others continues online at the official First Australians website, where people can learn more about the continuing story of the first Australians, and participate in a sophisticated process that allows indigenous people to record the stories of their own families.

First Australians: The Untold Story of Australia
(2008)

Available through Madman Entertainment.