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Remembering the Myall Creek Massacre
The 1838 Myall Creek Massacre is remembered for the brutality of the crime committed by white settlers against innocent Aboriginal men, women and children, but also because eleven of the twelve assassins were arrested and brought to trial. Amid tremendous controversy, seven were hanged. Myall Creek was not the last time the colonial administration sought to apply the law equally to Aboriginal people and settlers, but it was the last time perpetrators of a massacre were convicted and hanged. Marking its 180th anniversary, this book explores the significance of one of the most horrifying events of Australian colonialism. Thoughtful and fearless, it challenges us to look at our history without flinching as an act of remembrance and reconciliation.
271 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 1, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 16, 2021
My copy of Remembering the Myall Creek Massacre is signed by Lyndall Ryan, one of the contributors and editors, and Auntie Sue Blacklock, who has been intimately involved with the Myall Creek Memorial, and who has also contributed to this series of essays on the topic.
I attended the session of the 2019 Adelaide Writers' Week at which these women spoke with knowledge, wisdom and passion about the Myall Creek Massacre of 1838, and about the many other systematic massacres of native Aboriginal Australians by white colonial settlers during the formative years of the British Australian colonies, in what have come to be referred to as the Frontier Wars. I lined up to get my book signed.
The Myall Creek (New South Wales) Massacre is unique, not for the murderous brutality with which white stockmen attacked, murdered, beheaded and burnt the remains of 28 innocent, unarmed Aboriginal old men, women and children, but because 11 of the 12 attackers were captured and tried in the courts (the ringleader escaped), and 7 were were convicted of murder and hanged for their crimes.
Ruthless killing of the native population was prevalent both before and after this massacre in 1838 (it was done less openly in the aftermath), but mostly went unpunished, widely accepted and condoned by the white population, and considered justifiable and unremarkable.
There were several 'heroes' in this story, men who witnessed the massacre, were prepared to tell the authorities, and provide testimony (although aboriginal witnesses were legally prevented from testifying in court).
Perhaps the real 'hero' is NSW Attorney General John Plunkett, who was absolutely determined to prosecute the murderous mob for their crimes, much against popular opinion, especially as it was forcibly expressed in some of the newspapers of the time. (Interesting that conservative right wing newspapers, similar to Newscorp, existed even then).
This book consists of a series of short essays that present facts and deal with a range of commentary about this massacre, and others like it, that were all too common, not just in New South Wales, but also in Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania and Western Australia.
Much of the writing is 'scholarly' in tone, and can be a little dry in the reading, but the importance of the information, which is merely a small fraction of the essential truth-telling about Australia's violent and racist past, can not be over-estimated.
Many more of these stories deserve to be in the public domain and taught in our primary schools.
3.5 stars - I was tempted to round it up to 4.
I attended the session of the 2019 Adelaide Writers' Week at which these women spoke with knowledge, wisdom and passion about the Myall Creek Massacre of 1838, and about the many other systematic massacres of native Aboriginal Australians by white colonial settlers during the formative years of the British Australian colonies, in what have come to be referred to as the Frontier Wars. I lined up to get my book signed.
The Myall Creek (New South Wales) Massacre is unique, not for the murderous brutality with which white stockmen attacked, murdered, beheaded and burnt the remains of 28 innocent, unarmed Aboriginal old men, women and children, but because 11 of the 12 attackers were captured and tried in the courts (the ringleader escaped), and 7 were were convicted of murder and hanged for their crimes.
Ruthless killing of the native population was prevalent both before and after this massacre in 1838 (it was done less openly in the aftermath), but mostly went unpunished, widely accepted and condoned by the white population, and considered justifiable and unremarkable.
There were several 'heroes' in this story, men who witnessed the massacre, were prepared to tell the authorities, and provide testimony (although aboriginal witnesses were legally prevented from testifying in court).
Perhaps the real 'hero' is NSW Attorney General John Plunkett, who was absolutely determined to prosecute the murderous mob for their crimes, much against popular opinion, especially as it was forcibly expressed in some of the newspapers of the time. (Interesting that conservative right wing newspapers, similar to Newscorp, existed even then).
This book consists of a series of short essays that present facts and deal with a range of commentary about this massacre, and others like it, that were all too common, not just in New South Wales, but also in Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania and Western Australia.
Much of the writing is 'scholarly' in tone, and can be a little dry in the reading, but the importance of the information, which is merely a small fraction of the essential truth-telling about Australia's violent and racist past, can not be over-estimated.
Many more of these stories deserve to be in the public domain and taught in our primary schools.
3.5 stars - I was tempted to round it up to 4.
July 17, 2018
Today, 10 June 2018, is the 180th anniversary of the Myall Creek massacre, where at least 28 Wirrayaraay women, children and elders were killed by settlers and stockmen without provocation in northern New South Wales.
Jane Lydon and Lyndall Ryan’s Remembering the Myall Creek Massacre seeks not only to explain the historical significance of the events of 1838, but also to explore the legacy of those events and their relevance to contemporary Australia.
A quick history lesson: one of the reasons the Myall Creek massacre is significant is because 11 of the 12 perpetrators were arrested and brought to trial, with seven of them subsequently hung. Unusually for the time, white witnesses were prepared to testify, meaning the massacre could proceed to court. The Myall Creek trials represent the last time in the nineteenth century white perpetrators were convicted of killing Aboriginal people in frontier violence, a simply stunning historical fact given that Myall Creek is only one of more than 170 massacres recorded between 1794 and 1872.
Remembering the Myall Creek Massacre is a collection of essays that explore the rifts in Australian society. There was divisive public reaction at the time: outcry against the massacres, but also outcry against white men being convicted and punished for killing Aboriginal people. Extraordinary stuff, and quite often a confronting read. For example, at the same time Eliza Hamilton Dunlop, an Irish immigrant, published ‘The Aboriginal Mother’ (a poem expressing her horror at the Myall Creek massacre) in The Australian there were public fundraising appeals and petitions of support for the men on trial for the massacre.
The trials highlight how class structure stood in the way of justice. John Fleming, the twelfth perpetrator, was protected by his status as a free settler and not only avoided arrest but reentered public life in 1940. William Hobbs, the station manager who reported the massacre, was fired for doing so. The young boy Yintayintin, who witnessed the massacre but as an Aboriginal was not eligible to testify, disappeared soon after the trial and is assumed to have been murdered.
As a child in the 1980s, frontier violence was not a part of my education. As an adult educating myself on Australia’s frontier history, I hope this book (and others like it) reach a greater audience.
However, Remembering the Myall Creek Massacre is not the book to place on the curriculum. Lydon and Ryan bring together their own essays and contributions from other writers in a powerful narrative, but a narrative that relies heavily on academic language. I understand why this is the case: the Myall Creek massacre is a heavily contested event in Australian history and any subjective language is likely to draw the ire of those who do not agree.
But as a reader, I found myself wishing for more of a narrative non-fiction approach. The different contributions also tend to repeat the key facts on numerous occasions rather than explore them more fully. I also question the inclusion of the chapter ‘Walking on Bones’, which places Australian frontier massacres in the international context of genocide. I have no issue with this comparison, however the chapter drew my attention away from the core subject of the book.
Despite the heavy academic tone, I recommend anyone with an interest in Australian history read Remembering the Myall Creek Massacre. The work has prompted me to explore Ryan’s online work defining and mapping frontier massacres in Australia. I have also added Murder at Myall Creek: The Trial that Defined a Nation by Mark Tedeschi (who wrote the afterward to this book) to my reading list.
This review was first published on The Garret (www.thegarretpodcast.com) on 10 June 2018.
Jane Lydon and Lyndall Ryan’s Remembering the Myall Creek Massacre seeks not only to explain the historical significance of the events of 1838, but also to explore the legacy of those events and their relevance to contemporary Australia.
A quick history lesson: one of the reasons the Myall Creek massacre is significant is because 11 of the 12 perpetrators were arrested and brought to trial, with seven of them subsequently hung. Unusually for the time, white witnesses were prepared to testify, meaning the massacre could proceed to court. The Myall Creek trials represent the last time in the nineteenth century white perpetrators were convicted of killing Aboriginal people in frontier violence, a simply stunning historical fact given that Myall Creek is only one of more than 170 massacres recorded between 1794 and 1872.
Remembering the Myall Creek Massacre is a collection of essays that explore the rifts in Australian society. There was divisive public reaction at the time: outcry against the massacres, but also outcry against white men being convicted and punished for killing Aboriginal people. Extraordinary stuff, and quite often a confronting read. For example, at the same time Eliza Hamilton Dunlop, an Irish immigrant, published ‘The Aboriginal Mother’ (a poem expressing her horror at the Myall Creek massacre) in The Australian there were public fundraising appeals and petitions of support for the men on trial for the massacre.
The trials highlight how class structure stood in the way of justice. John Fleming, the twelfth perpetrator, was protected by his status as a free settler and not only avoided arrest but reentered public life in 1940. William Hobbs, the station manager who reported the massacre, was fired for doing so. The young boy Yintayintin, who witnessed the massacre but as an Aboriginal was not eligible to testify, disappeared soon after the trial and is assumed to have been murdered.
As a child in the 1980s, frontier violence was not a part of my education. As an adult educating myself on Australia’s frontier history, I hope this book (and others like it) reach a greater audience.
However, Remembering the Myall Creek Massacre is not the book to place on the curriculum. Lydon and Ryan bring together their own essays and contributions from other writers in a powerful narrative, but a narrative that relies heavily on academic language. I understand why this is the case: the Myall Creek massacre is a heavily contested event in Australian history and any subjective language is likely to draw the ire of those who do not agree.
But as a reader, I found myself wishing for more of a narrative non-fiction approach. The different contributions also tend to repeat the key facts on numerous occasions rather than explore them more fully. I also question the inclusion of the chapter ‘Walking on Bones’, which places Australian frontier massacres in the international context of genocide. I have no issue with this comparison, however the chapter drew my attention away from the core subject of the book.
Despite the heavy academic tone, I recommend anyone with an interest in Australian history read Remembering the Myall Creek Massacre. The work has prompted me to explore Ryan’s online work defining and mapping frontier massacres in Australia. I have also added Murder at Myall Creek: The Trial that Defined a Nation by Mark Tedeschi (who wrote the afterward to this book) to my reading list.
This review was first published on The Garret (www.thegarretpodcast.com) on 10 June 2018.
March 9, 2019
This book, comprising a number of essays by both indigenous and non-indigenous authors, was published for the 180th anniversary. The academic historians represented here – Lyndall Ryan, Jane Lydon, Anna Johnston and John Maynard – are all well-respected within the academy. The earlier chapters focus on the massacre event itself. The final three chapters focus on Myall Creek within the songlines and trading networks of indigenous groups the length of the east coast of Australia and tease out issues of memorialization and reconciliation.
...
This is an excellent book. The chapters are engagingly written, and... raises some interesting questions. It makes me wonder: will I live long enough for Australians and their governments to have the maturity and humility to look at the white settler past, and actually do something about an honest recognition and reconciliation that must come one day?
For my complete review, see
https://residentjudge.com/2019/02/20/...
...
This is an excellent book. The chapters are engagingly written, and... raises some interesting questions. It makes me wonder: will I live long enough for Australians and their governments to have the maturity and humility to look at the white settler past, and actually do something about an honest recognition and reconciliation that must come one day?
For my complete review, see
https://residentjudge.com/2019/02/20/...
July 10, 2022
From Myall Creek to the Rest of Australia…
So many more massacre sites identified around Australia just in the past four years. But to understand what has led to the significance of The Myall Creek Massacre of 1838 and the establishment of the Memorial this book is invaluable. A moving record for the many survivor descendants of those dreadful killing times - as much as it is a moment for the rest of the country to understand, acknowledge and with respect make proper response.
So many more massacre sites identified around Australia just in the past four years. But to understand what has led to the significance of The Myall Creek Massacre of 1838 and the establishment of the Memorial this book is invaluable. A moving record for the many survivor descendants of those dreadful killing times - as much as it is a moment for the rest of the country to understand, acknowledge and with respect make proper response.
November 23, 2018
Impressive, moving and powerful writing about this event.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews