THE PANTHER WITHIN
2016/ 52 min
Writer/Director: Edoardo Crismani
Joe Murray, a member of the stolen generation, was a chameleon. In his early years Joe was a part of a boxing tent troupe and was known as the ‘Black Panther’ in the ring because of his incredible speed and lightning punches. He and his wife created a vaudeville troupe and travelled around the country performing and boxing. From 1940-44, as a non-commissioned officer with the rank of corporal, he trained Australian army recruits in the Second World War. Whilst one of his military documents says he was born in Sydney 1900, he also took on cultures such as Maori or Canadian that enabled him to have freedom to move around and have jobs without the suppression of the Aboriginal Protection Board. In a time of Aboriginal child removal, it is possible he did know who his parents were but was denied contact and connection with them.
This is a journey of discovery as the filmmaker, his grandson, unravels the background to his family identity.
STILLS
