An extensive campaign is underway by Fair Trade Films promoting the memorial screening of Circle of Silence, poster above, in Melbourne on May 3 , and at other venues across the nation .
The promo says Circle of Silence is a powerful human drama, a cold case investigation and a politically explosive story. It is inspired by Shirley Shackleton’s Walkley Award winning book of the same name. It uncovers new evidence about the notorious 1975 murders of five Australian based journalists, the Balibó Five, killed in Portuguese Timor whilst reporting on Indonesian military incursions.
Shirley’s husband, Greg Shackleton, a Channel 7 reporter, was one of the men murdered. Shirley’s life had been marked by a fierce determination to discover the truth about the deaths and why Australia did not protest over the murders and subsequent genocide in East Timor.
In the film , she starts her own investigation following the decision by the Australian Federal Police to abandon its war crimes investigation into the Balibó Five murders due to ‘insufficient evidence’. Shirley disagrees with the decision and travels to Timor Leste and Indonesia to discover startling new evidence about the crime.
Circle of Silence was completed in 2022 shortly before Shirley’s passing. An impact campaign accompanies the film and continues Shirley’s determined efforts to uncover the truth about the Balibó Five murders and Australia’s involvement in the cover-up and in the invasion of East Timor.
Darwin activist Robert Wesley-Smith , deeply involved in the East Timor struggle , has highlighted Shirley Shackleton's involvement in the campaign in recent emails dealing with the film .
In Melbourne , another activist , former ALP politician , publisher and journalist, Pete Steedman , told this blog Shirley had contacted him, he thought in connection with the Balibo Five , over a "song" he thought she had composed about the event , which had been placed on tape .
At the time , Steedman was the head of AUSMUSIC , an innovative government backed organisation , designed to grow the music industry , spread the appreciation of music in schools and elsewhere , help new bands , help new talent .
As part of the drive , tapes of new bands and artists were sent out to community radio stations and some commercial stations across the nation under the heading Fresh Tracks .
Finding the Shackleton tape, he said , could be a problem because a large part of his extensive files , including the AUSMUSIC part , had been sent to the Victorian state library for cataloguing . However , some weeks later , he triumphantly announced he had unearthed the following demonstration cassette holder containing five unsigned Australian artists , presenting their new songs to radio and the music industry ,including one by Shirley Shackleton , but not dealing with the Balibo Five .
The artists were Clawed (Arachnida, No Love in Africa , Dirty Word ) rock ballads from West Australian artist soon to reform his band and tour eastern states ,contact Geoff Sains . The Thunder Gods (Terania Creek-believed to relate to the birth in Australia of frontline activism which stopped bulldozing of rainforest in NSW , One Year On ) four piece Sydney band with diverse influences and regular live work ,contact Will Bedford . Oscar ( Till Darkness Fell , Stay Away ) versatile seven piece funky pop from a Melbourne band with regular live performances , contact Scott Thompson. Worlds Away (Take a Part of You, Push, Edge of the Sea ) five piece rock band with live performances on the rock and club circuit in Melbourne , contact Andrew McSweeney .
The Shirley Shackelton (sic) tape , entitled The Flower of China, was a ballad , a reminder of the looming first anniversary of the l989 Tiananmen Square Massacre -" here is a history which won't be rewritten " -the brutal suppression by the People's Liberation Army of the so called Democracy Movement led by demonstrating students . Wesley-Smith said Shirley oft penned pieces about issues that concerned her .
Reading from diplomatic cables about the atrocities , Prime Minister Bob Hawke became emotional, tears welled up . Furthermore, he offered asylum to Chinese students in the wake of the massacre ,taken up by about 42,000 . His emotional response is said to have made a big impression in China and within the Chinese community in Australia .
As part of the drive to promote the film , interested groups are being urged to host their own screening. Details can be obtained from info@demand.Film .
