The Last Daughter

When Brenda Matthews was two years old, she and her siblings were taken from their parents. For the next five years she was a much-loved daughter in a white family, a happy child in a country town on the outskirts of Sydney, unaware of the existence of her Aboriginal family or how hard her parents were fighting for her return—unaware of her Aboriginal identity.

Then, she was suddenly returned to her Aboriginal family, the last daughter to come home.

Decades later, feeling a sense of something missing in her life, Brenda searches for her foster family and her beloved white sister, with whom she had had no contact.

Along the way she uncovers long-buried secrets and government bungling, as well as a deep connection to family and to her Aboriginal culture.

The Last Daughter is the story of Brenda’s journey to discover the truth about her past, to unite her two families—and to foster a broader connection between black and white Australia. It’s a story full of heartbreak, love and hope, one that shows a way forward for all Australians.

‘I share this story out of love and forgiveness.’ Brenda Matthews

Brenda Matthews is a proud Wiradjuri woman. She lives with her husband, Mark, in Bundjalung country, Queensland. Brenda is a mother, a grandmother, a sister, a daughter, an aunty, a poet, a writer, a speaker and co-director of the feature film, The Last Daughter, a documentary of her life.

brendamatthews.com.au

thelastdaughter.com.au