(1.06) Is Nothing Sacred

1.06 Is Nothing Sacred by Peter Schreck

Summary: Aboriginal land rights activist Debbie Wilson comes to town to "stir up trouble" as most people see it. There's possibly a sacred site somewhere in the area, and she's there to investigate. If there is, it spells trouble for George Baxter, who pays an old man, Don Shepherd, to keep quiet about it. Shepherd manages to dodge Wilson for quite some time, until the two head off into the bush. He shows her some cliff paintings she correctly identifies as fakes - in fact, Shepherd painted them himself to convince Baxter there's a sacred site there ... so he can receive the payments for keeping quiet about it, and pass it on to the local tribe. In town, because of the presence of Aboriginees, there are racistic clashes. Violet turns out to hold her own, while Vic bends to the will of the whites, with a bar brawl ensuing. Wilson and Tom end up having a fling, and Tom gets so worked up about Baxter and his racist attitudes that he eventually takes him outside and punches him.

Recurring characters: Tom, Gibbo, Kate, Chris, Joe, Sharon, Frank, Ron, Hurtle, Vic and Nance, Jack, George.

Debbie Wilson isn't black herself, but says that Sharon, who is taking an interest in Wilson's work, could do so much more than she ever could just because Sharon is Aboriginal herself. If I remember correctly, this is exactly why Sharon later leaves the series.

This episode brings to light the overt racism out there, and that the Aboriginees have to fight for their sacred sites to remain untouched. That's why I thought the resolution to the Shepherd/Baxter situation was so funny. Shepherd painted the cliff himself (he even signed it, hidden behind some greenery) and made deliberate mistakes that wouldn't fool an expert. It fooled Baxter, however, and since then, Baxter has been paying out large sums of money for Shepherd to keep the "sacred site" to himself. What he doesn't know is that Shepherd gives the money to the local Aboriginees - and so far, Baxter's money has helped to pay for the land they live on, a couple of houses in town, and indeed a whole school for the children to learn their own language. IN YOUR FACE, Baxter!

Violet surprised me. There's a group of workers in town to collect payment (I think?) and a group of Aboriginee men get inside first. Violet asks them to line up, and in barges some white men, who push to the front. She tells them they need to line up as well, first come first served, and the white men say they're certainly not queuing up with those people. Violet tells them to get in the queue or they won't get their money. I really didn't think she'd have it in her. Good on yer, Vi!

Vic, on the other hand, doesn't have the guts to stick up for what's right, when a similar situation later happens in the pub. The black men come in, the same white blokes say they don't want to drink in the same pub, and as Vic doesn't want a fight, he reluctantly agrees to serve the black men outside. And then a fight breaks out anyway ...

Tom and Wilson seem to be at odds first, but they soon realise maybe they're not so different after all, and they end up sleeping together. Not that we're invited into the bedroom, of course, it's not that kind of show, but it's heavily implied if not stated outright. Yup, even doctors have needs ...

As topics go, racism is a big one, but the people behind the show are not afraid to tackle it. Kudos to them.