Mr. Keeling Character Analysis in Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence

The Superintendent at the Jigalong station who first reports to the authorities rounding up half-caste children that Molly, Daisy, and Gracie are living outside Jigalong. Though he eventually recanted his report, and wrote to his higher-ups that there was no need to send the three girls away as they were thriving in their own communities, this letter was ignored, and the girls were forcibly removed from their homes anyway.

Mr. Keeling Character Timeline in Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence

The timeline below shows where the character Mr. Keeling appears in Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Loss, Dispossession, and Reclamation Theme Icon

Family, Culture, and Identity Theme Icon

...has been trained to work as a domestic helper for the Superintendent at the depot, Mr. Keeling , and is known in Jigalong as a bright, reliable, and intelligent girl. (full context)

...he names her Molly. When the baby is six weeks old, Maude introduces her to Mr. Keeling , the Superintendent, who writes in his diary that the first half-caste child has just... (full context)

...Gracie and Molly become “inseparable” as they grow older. They often play with Daisy, too. Mr. Keeling takes an unusual interest in the girls, noting that their playmates exclude them due to... (full context)

At the depot, Constable Riggs leads the girls to a car. Mr. Keeling stops him, and tells him that two local Aboriginal women need to be taken to... (full context)

...which were sent through the Department of Native Affairs concerning the girls’ welfare. One, from Mr. Keeling (the superintendent at Jigalong Depot) advised the Chief Protector of Aborigines that “nothing would be... (full context)