AUSTRALIAN STORY Chapter 1 of the book “Why “Why weren’t we told ” which opens the book begins with „an unforgettable incident‟ as Henry Reynolds a lecturer on Australian history and writer, recounts an incident in his life – a visit to a holding cell „30 years ago‟ (1). This was an event he would never forget, that was „vivid in his memory‟(2). In the holding cell a pr prison ison in Palm Island, near Townsville, he saw s aw two aboriginal girls in custody and was shocked by their treatment. Upon his visit v isit he could not believe the girls were spending a day behind bars and was shocked to see them there for what seemed an inappropriate reason; dissent towards teachers- how could this be happening? Indeed, it brought home for him that something had to be done he‟s called it the legacy of colonialism, his focus became on Queensland, whereas previously it was was Tasmania, and from convict and free settlers to Aborigines‟ (3) (4). It made an impact and he did not accept this, for in Australia this was a disturbing situation. As a teacher Reynolds describes his own education and he makes the point that the literature used in Australian History does not say enough e nough about the nature of settlement in Australia with concern to Aborigines. It is in chapter 2 of "Why weren‟t we told" that that the author talks about his own educational experience relating to Australian History – an – an Island education. One point he makes about his education is the lack of reference to aboriginals in the story of settlement/invasion; the curriculum refers to the pioneers of Australian History and little little is said of Aboriginal inhabitants, the aboriginal guides who were a part of this settlement which he lectured on and this prepared me as reader for the question of invasion that he talks in Chapter 11. He teaches Australian Australian history at a university while completing his master‟s thesis. Having grown up in a Homogenous Australian Tasmania as he said in Innocence of an Island education he had not so far been aware the disparity in the curriculum. The set text for his lecture lecture was „a fairly comprehensive survey of exploration, settlement and political development which which he and his students frequently referred to and failed to find in it treatment of aboriginals in any way insufficient‟ (5). Reynolds now has a different view on race relations than he had to begin with. When he talks about invasion and about an education Board of Trustees changing and so rewriting Australian history books for our students he Quotes the shadow Education Minister. „Children should read re ad history books history books that reflect a deep sense of shame…‟(6) says Jim Carlton. And for all Australians „the full extent of the injustice done to the Aboriginal people must be recognised‟ (7) from one of the authors quotes about the question of invasion and settlement. As an honours student „nothing prepared prepared (Reynolds) for race relations in the north or to understand them yet he „might have been uninterested u ninterested in it‟ if
Reynolds‟ experience of education had included anything concerning Queensland. His reading was selective „Tasmania specifically‟(8). „My involvement with Aboriginal and Islander people…influenced the way I thought about the past, and what I taught…‟ He lacked the information he needed to understand race relations in the north. That Australians are not educated well enough about our history resounds. As the title suggests „a personal search for the truth about our history‟ Reynolds personal narrative comes across as an Australian student/teacher who began to realise that there was of a lack of information, a misrepresentation about our history. His up front about his education, and it comes across as if his involvement in political debate, legal action and so on is genuinely due to his search for truth. The author has first-hand experience of racial injustices. Decolonisalation began to gain momentum, in his lifetime, and the „historiography which surrounded and supported the concept of race were discredited‟ also during that time(9).I was surprised when reading this book because at the time I was beginning to wonder about the question of settlement in Australia myself. My view then was this History book‟ might say more on Settlement, Colonialism and white settler history, and convicts – but then Reynolds first focused on settlers and then on Aborigines. He was involved in recent historical Land Rights decisions and thus parts of the book were dedicated to the decisions of the courts Wik, and Mabo and the establishment of land rights. These have been and were an important aspect in recent Australian Legal History. Reynolds has a social conscience and some involvement in recent political developments. With quotes from papers/letters/ throughout he presents a collection of views which concern the attitudes at those times and paints a bleak picture of invasion, and colonisation with his own commentary and with his view „historical accounts were guilty of perpetrating injustices toward indigenous Australians‟(10).
REFERENCES 1. Henry Reynolds, „Why weren‟t we told‟ (Ringwood, Viking, 1999), p.8. 2. op.cit, p.5. 3. Anne Galligan, „Libraries and Literary Outcomes: A crucial Intersection in the cultural field‟ (Internet, http://conference.alia.org.au/alia2000/proceedings/proceedngs) Alternative Histories and Possible Outcomes 4. Henry Reynolds p.905. Op.cit pp. 13-16.6. Ibid. p.1557. Ibid. 1598. Ibid p.159. Ibid pg.2110. Ibid. pg 116
