Professor Bernard Thornton

Professor Bernard Thornton

Background

Bernard Thornton is an archaeology professor in South Australia. His daughter is Cathy Thornton and his wife is in hospice.

During the events of The Dreaming (1988) played by Arthur Dignam

A helicopter lands at an archaeological base camp. Bernard gets out and an Archeologist tells him that they found a cave sealed by the Aborigines. He continues that the cave has wall paintings that are fairly recent and that he thinks the Anthropology department should take over. The Archeologist takes Bernard inside of the cave and shows him the rock art. Bernard starts to chip at the seal on the cave and a large amount of pressurized air bursts out of the cave. Bernard goes inside the new chamber and finds a burial of some sort. He then finds a bracelet and when he touches it, sees a vision of an Aboriginal woman and a group of Whalers walking onto the shore. During the vision the Whalers come across a group of Aborigines sleeping on the beach and start to slaughter the men and rape the women.

9 Months later, Dr Richards sees Bernard and tells him about the theft of the bracelet. He then tells him that he is putting the island where the cave was at off limits. Cathy's pager goes off and she calls Bernard and he tells her that her mother died and when the funeral is. At the funeral, the Priest gives the final prayer while the Undertaker holds the umbrella for him. After the funeral, Cathy goes to speak to Bernard. Before he leaves, Bernard tosses his wedding ring in his wife's casket. Najira argues with Bernard about who the artifacts belong to.

Cathy takes a boat to the island and finds Bernard chopping wood and she tells him that Richards was asking where he was and he tells her that he isn't leaving the island. She tells him about her visions and he suggests she might be working too much. Bernard goes back to the dig site and brings in a surveying tripod. While in the cave, Bernard finds a whaler's weapon. While she is taking a bath, Cathy has a vision that Geoff is hunted down and killed by the Whalers. Geoff arrives on the island and when Cathy sees him, she yells that he is dead. Bernard brings out the Whaler's weapon and looks at it admiringly. He sees Cathy with Geoff and stares at them. Geoff sees a bonfire and when he goes to investigate it, he is killed by Bernard. Bernard, now transformed into the leader of the Whalers attacks Cathy and she runs away. Bernard follows her and tries to rape her and she grabs his weapon and strikes him with it. Bernard falls out of the window and falls to his death below.