6 Times Redfern Now Showed Us Everyone has The Right to Stand Up for What They Believe In

After a couple of days other indigenous Australian students realised it wasn’t right to stand and sing the national anthem. One morning when every student and teachers were singing the national anthem, one by one the indigenous Australian students sat down and done what they believed was right. After the assembly Mrs Macann told the students off for not standing and singing the national anthem and tried to make it as if their parents would be angry and disappointed for being expelled but Angela says, “Miss you’d be wrong there. Our parents are right behind us. They’re proud were standing up for something and if we get expelled so be it, they reckon.”

In this scene Joel and his parents are in a meeting with the principal and two of Joel’s teachers because he got suspended for not singing the national anthem. In the meeting Joel says, “ So I wanna sing the national anthem. But, I tried to sing the national anthem, and I can’t. I’m sorry mum. I just can’t.” Mrs Macann was shocked (shown by Gillian Jones’s angrily surprised facial expression) when she heard what Joel had said. Mrs Macann said, “While I admire Joel’s convictions, I am left with no other choice but to expel him.” Nic was divested and was saying reasons why Mrs Macann couldn’t expel Joel.

Mrs Macann (Gillian Jones) couldn’t take the fact that Joel wouldn’t sing the national anthem so she called in his parents. Joel’s mother Nic (Ursula Yoyich) was shocked (when Ursula’s eyebrows were raised then quickly dropped) when she heard that Eddie new about this issue and didn’t tell her about it. Nic also made it clear to Joel that he had to stand and sing the national anthem when she said, “There will be no issue will there, Joel?”

Mr Moore is an indigenous Australian who has been working at Clifton Grammar for nearly three years, and the whole time he worked there he never sung the national anthem. Mr Moore suggested something that could help Joel and make the school happy, saying, “Ah, now, my mouth’s moving, but I’m not singing. No sound Joel.” When Joel went home, he stood in front of a mirror and tried what Mr Moore suggested.

What Eddie said really must have helped Joel on making up his mind because in this scene he doesn’t stand or sing the national anthem, he just sits and does what he believes is right. Him not standing or singing must have made Mr Parish angry (shown by Ewen Lesile crossing his arm) because this time he didn’t come to speak to Joel alone, he came with Mr Moore (Bjorn Stewart) an indigenous Australian as well. He thought bringing an indigenous Australian to talk to Joel might help Joel understand how important the national anthem is.

On Joel’s second day, Eddie drops Joel off at school and says, “I have never stood up for that song, not even for the State of Origin. It’s not our song. It doesn’t belong to us. You don’t need that stuff to have pride, bud, alright? If you get in trouble for not singing their gammon song, you tell’em come and talk to me, alright?” Eddie might have said that to Joel to help him decide on whether he should or shouldn’t stand up for what he believes is right.

Joel (Aaron L. McGrath) is a 16-year-old boy who won a scholarship to Clifton Grammar, which was one of Sydney’s best private schools. His school’s tradition is to sing the National Anthem every morning in assembly. On his first day, at assembly Joel’s poetry teacher Mr Parish (Ewen Lesile) notices that Joel isn’t singing. At home Joel’s father, Eddie (Marley Sharp) hears that Joel has to sing and stand for the national anthem everyday. He’s isn’t impressed with this, and believes that it isn’t ‘right’ for Indigenous Australians to be forced to sing something they don’t believe in. Joel shows a paper that was given to him to learn the national anthem. Eddie reads the national anthem, “for those who’ve come across the seas we’ve boundless plains to shares” aloud and asks, “What did they share?”