Lousy Little Sixpence

{{Infobox film

| name = Lousy Little Sixpence

| image =

| alt =

| caption =

| director = Alec Morgan

| producer = Alec Morgan
Gerald Bostock

| writer =

| screenplay =

| story =

| starring =

| music = Ralph Schneider

| cinematography = Martha Ansara
James Grant
Alessandro Cavadini
Fabio Cavadini

| editing = John Scott
Rhonda MacGregor

| studio =

| distributor = Ronin Films

| released = {{Film date|1983|09|29|df=y}}

| runtime = 54 minutes

| country = Australia

| language = English

| budget =

| gross =

}}

Lousy Little Sixpence is a 1983 Australian documentary film about Australian history that details the early years of the Stolen Generations and the struggle of Aboriginal Australians against the Aboriginal Protection Board in the 1930s.{{cite web|url=http://www.roninfilms.com.au/feature/590/lousy-little-sixpence.html |title=LOUSY LITTLE SIXPENCE |publisher=Ronin Films |accessdate=3 January 2015 }}{{cite web|url=http://www.roninfilms.com.au/get/files/1090.pdf |title=25 years on, classic film still shocks |last=Smith |first=Margaret |publisher=Koori Mail |accessdate=3 January 2015 }}{{cite web|url=http://www.roninfilms.com.au/get/files/928.pdf |title=Lousy Little Sixpence, Stolen Generations and Land of the Little Kings: A Study Guide |last=Carrodus |first=Geraldine |publisher=Ronin Films |accessdate=3 January 2015 }} The film's title references the amount of pocket money that Aboriginal children were to be paid for their forced labour, although few ever received it.{{cite web|url=http://aso.gov.au/titles/documentaries/lousy-little-sixpence/notes/ |title=Lousy Little Sixpence (1983) |publisher=National Film and Sound Archive |accessdate=5 January 2015 }}{{cite web|url=http://www.creativespirits.info/resources/movies/lousy-little-sixpence |title=Movies - Lousy Little Sixpence |publisher=www.CreativeSpirits.info |accessdate=5 January 2015 }}

Overview

Lousy Little Sixpence begins with the testimonies of survivors of the Stolen Generations who were born in the early 1900s. Later, the film documents the work of Jack Patten and the Aborigines Progressive Association in the 1930s, and ends with the Day of Mourning on 26 January 1938, which marked 150 years of European settlement in Australia.{{cite web|url=http://www.centralhighlandslibraries.org.au/client/en_AU/gvrl/search/detailnonmodal/ent:$002f$002fSD_ILS$002f0$002fSD_ILS:1414905/ada;jsessionid=EDA25FA42105B2627973DF05B1F2029B.enterprise-14800?qu=Aborigines%2C+Australian+--+Government+relations.&ps=300 |title=Lousy little sixpence [DVD]. |publisher=Goulburn Valley Regional Library |accessdate=5 January 2015 }}

Production

Lousy Little Sixpence took three years to research and produce. In the early stages of production, the film's producers Alec Morgan and Gerry Bostock travelled through New South Wales and Victoria while receiving unemployment benefits, looking for information on the Stolen Generations to include such as newspaper articles, films and photographs.

The film screened for six weeks at Dendy cinemas in Sydney.

Cast

Margaret Tucker as herself
Bill Reid as himself
Geraldine Briggs as herself
Flo Caldwell as herself
Violet Shea as herself
Chicka Dixon as Narrator{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0823488/ |title= Lousy Little Sixpence (1983) |publisher=IMDb |accessdate=3 January 2015 }}