Rosie
Docudrama | 2004 | ABCRosie” is based on the life of Rosalie Fraser, author of the book Shadow Child. Rosalie Fraser’s life with her natural family ended in March 1961, when as a two year old aboriginal child she was taken by the Western Australian Child Welfare Department and made a ward of the state.
Rosalie and her sister Beverley were both fostered out to the Kelly family by the Welfare Department. Rosalie suffers years of terrible abuse at the hands of her foster mother. When the abuse gets too much Rosalie runs away, but her foster mother is always able to coax her back home. Rosalie finally leaves the Kelly family for good when she meets a young aboriginal man by the name of Stan, whom she also later marries.
In an emotional encounter, Rosalie is reunited with her sister and they both trace and find their natural mother. For Rosalie however, the length of the separation from her biological mother is too great, and despite the abuse Mrs Kelly remains the only mother she has ever really known.
After Mrs Kelly’s death, Rosalie realises that she needs to confront and deal with her painful past. After rising above the traumas of her childhood and building a happy family life, Rosalie overcomes a literacy problem and writes Shadow Child.
“Rosie” is a journey of self-discovery through the trauma of physical and emotional abuse. It is a story of triumph over adversity, telling the life of a strong and determined woman, who despite the odds comes to terms with her situation and ends up living a happy and successful life.
