I was told we spoke Spanish: Frances Bodkin

As descendants of Mary Perry, Auntie Frances Bodkin’s family believed that “the safest place to hide is amongst those who are looking for you”. Her mother spoke Dharawal language at home, but she was always told it was Spanish. When she opened a box of papers her mother had left her they turned out to all be written in Dharawal and she now uses them to teach.

Keywords: Identity; childhood; racism; values; heritage

South West
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Glossary

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All the video recordings on this website were made at least a decade ago. Some are fifteen years old.

What the speakers say on camera was based on their own knowledge and researches at the time each video was made. Since then a great deal of information has come to hand which may make some of the information first recorded now outdated. Therefore please regard this website as a period piece presenting knowledge held and believed at the time of recording.