Bevan Carter

This volume is a collection of documents written by the British colonists in relation to the first twenty one years of the Swan River Colony. It outlines measures taken by the Aboriginal people to convince the invaders to leave and the measures taken by the British to stay. It also reveals the disruption and loss caused to the lives of the original owners and it reveals the moral misgivings of some colonists at taking other people’s land and food. It discusses early colonists understanding of the system of Indigenous land tenure that was in place when the colony was established. It outlines Indigenous resistance and a “battle” on the site of Perth as early as May 1830; this is followed by notes on many incidents of violence and massacre as the colony developed. The author also documents the establishment of “ration depots” and attempts to “civilize the natives”. Its last chapter discusses in some detail some of the key Aboriginal people, their families and their various interactions with the colonists.

People considering the history debates will find this of interest in that it is a collection of source documents. It also brings a bit more detail to some of the principal players involved in the early years of the Swan River Colony. It is designed in a reader friendly format, but is at times frustrating in its style partly due to being arranged thematically rather than chronologically, and its, at times, polemic style.… (más)