The Australian Lost Child
The Australian Lost Child is one of mythological tales told in Australia to regulate and create forms of
whiteness in Australia. It is a narrative told of the white presence instead of their absence. To emphasize
on how unreasonable that this myth is till told is, various scholars have termed it as a strategic colonial
paradox that is indeed deceptive (Hamar 1955; Torney 2005; Heseltine 2000; and Pierce 1999). Colonial
states could not afford to create a clear picture of what they were doing in various states and
unfortunately it is through such myths and narratives that they used as tactics to get to our mind sets.
They used all means to get colonies do what they wanted, how they wanted and most of all to be
accommodated in the various states. Various strategies and tactics used to entice the Australian
community into white belonging and whiteness. These strategies were supported by the white vanishing
myth also known as the Australian lost-in-the bush myth. It is therefore important that answers are sort
to the question why the myth still holds water among the Australian community despite the critics from
scholars and other individuals who maintain that the Australian Lost Child myth is a discursive neo-
colonialism and colonialism weapon that should be done away with.
Even with the disgust of the existence of such myths and their negative effects to the community they
exist in, there must be various reasons to explain their continued existence over the years till now. One
of the reasons is that it is a myth, it is always told especially to the young generation who do the same to
their young generations. The narrative of the Australian Lost Child from the white varnishing myth is a
familiar one. It is so familiar almost predictable and therefore easy to be repeated and told over and
over. Furthermore, individuals who do not know the tale would want to know so that they are not left
out. The second reason is what whiteness represented among the Australian community. White
Australia represented images of a nationalized community and it was therefore alright to keep the tales
alive for a greater good. Whiteness is liked to wholesomeness, acceptability and to others as a
successful rescue mission. The Australian narrative of the lost child also portrays the very dominant
white characters as heroic, innocent and from a respective victimhood. It is no wonder the Australian
community still tell the myth and its narrations, to show the white community contribution to their own
society.
From the stated reasons, Australian society is much convinced that their belief in the white society is the
right way to go about it. However, there are some facts that do not add up to that belief. Situations or
things cannot always be white and black, sometimes there are hidden agendas that are to remain
hidden but the Australian community either chooses to ignore or is indeed ignorant to some extent. This
is therefore when the whiteness in someone or something becomes tainted. In one of the stories
narrated from the myth, a father was able to spot his girl in the woods simply because she wore a white
petticoat. This is a good thing because if the petticoat was not white then the father could maybe not
have seen her. But what if, someone else or something else that is not the girl’s father happened to spot
the girl first? The point is, wherever there is good there is also always bad, and the bad side should not
be ignored just because of the good that also exists. In the narrative if the Australian lost child, although
the white protagonist that varnish appear undeniably white, in a way they are not-so white as they look.
The protagonists undergo some change while in the Australian surrounding and this leads to imperfect
whiteness or tainted whiteness. It is these changes that lead to political aspects of separation and a
