THE SKIN OF OTHERS

The NFSA is proud to present a screening of the film The Skin of Others 2pm April 29 at The Arc Theatre.

The film uses the profound performance of the late Balang Tom E Lewis to explore the dynamics and forces of Douglas Grant’s life. It tells the story of this proud ANZAC and his achievements and asks why he has been largely forgotten by history.

Douglas Grant was a First Nations man and an ANZAC, taken from his family as a child after a massacre that killed them.

After the First World War broke out Grant enlisted as a sergeant in the 34th Battalion, although he was delayed by a law that prevented Indigenous Australians from leaving the country without permission. By the time he was permitted to serve he had been stripped of his rank.

Grant was sent to France with the 13th battalion and was wounded and captured on the 11th of April 1917 at the first Battle of Bullecourt. This battle resulted in more than 3000 Australians casualties and approximately 1170 men were captured.

As a prisoner Grant was in contact via letter with the secretary of the prisoners of war branch of the Australian Red Cross society, Miss Elizabeth Chomley. Not only did he distribute parcels to the other captured men, he also passed on vital information about fellow soldiers who had been captured. This information was of the ultimate importance to families waiting at home with little to no information about the wellbeing of their family members.

Upon returning to Australia Grant was active in Aboriginal rights and returned servicemen’s affairs. He wrote prolifically for newspapers and hosted ‘Diggers session’ on a local radio station. During this time he continued to experience discrimination; in one circumstance he was removed from a pub after patrons complained to police that there was an Aboriginal man drinking there.

In his later years Grant struggled with mental health and spent time in the exserviceman’s ward at Callan Park Mental Hospital, he also worked as a clerk there and constructed a small pond with a replica of the Sydney Harbour Bridge spanning it (picture right).

Douglas Grant died in 1951 having lived at a war veteran’s home in La Perouse for several years.