Characters
Who are the three generations of women at the centre of the play?
Nan Dear, Gladys Banks, Dolly Banks.
When and where is the play primarily set?
The 1950s at the Flats near Shepparton.
What does the flood symbolise?
Hardship and resilience.
What emotion does Dolly experience after Nancy mocks her dress?
Shame.
Who says, “She’s not my queen”?
Nan Dear.
What is Errol Fisher’s occupation when he first meets the Dear family?
Encyclopaedia salesman.
What word describes the dwelling the Dear family lives in?
Humpy
What do the encyclopaedias symbolise?
Unequal access to education and knowledge.
How does the family respond to the destruction caused by the flood?
They support one another and begin rebuilding.
What has happened when Gladys says, “People is what matters”?
The flood has destroyed the encyclopaedias.
What educational achievement makes Dolly a source of pride for Gladys?
Dolly is the first person in the family to complete her Leaving Certificate.
What does the railway separating the Flats from the town represent?
The physical and social segregation of the Aboriginal community.
What do the white gloves, dress and borrowed shoes represent?
The pressure to conform to white Australian standards.
Why does Dolly reject Errol’s offer of a “real home”?
She believes a real home is created by family, not possessions.
Gladys has returned from the royal visit and explains that hessian was placed along the road to stop the Queen from seeing the humpies:
“If they’d given us better houses… But hessian! Like a band-aid over a sore…”
What technique is used in “a band-aid over a sore”?
Simile
What does Nancy Woolthorpe's character represent?
Privilege, material wealth and racial prejudice.
What does Rumbalara mean?
Rainbow's End.
What do the bulldozers symbolise?
Government control and the destruction of Aboriginal homes, autonomy and culture.
How does Gladys’s illiteracy reflect a broader human experience?
It demonstrates how systemic discrimination can restrict education and opportunity.
In her final speech, how does Gladys’s shift from “humbly” and “request” to “We demand” characterise her transformation?
Her increasingly forceful language shows her developing confidence and political agency.
Identify ONE quality to describe each of the Dear women (three words total)
Teacher judgement.
How do the bank and dance hall expose racial inequality?
The bank restricts opportunity.The dance hall exposes public prejudice.
What do Gladys’s dream sequences symbolise?
Her hopes for equality, dignity and a better life.
How does Dolly’s pregnancy reveal intergenerational trauma within the Dear family?
It reveals that both Dolly and Nan experienced sexual violence as young women.
What does the leitmotif “Que Sera, Sera” symbolise in the play?
It contrasts hope for the future with the family’s lack of control over their circumstances.