Dr. Jeanette M. Thompson, in researching Bone and Beauty: The Ribbon Boys’ Rebellion (UQP:2020), uncovered the murder of three Aboriginal women on the O’Connell Plains in 1824. An event that paradoxically led to Governor Brisbane’s declaration of martial law and three months of military operations against the Wiradjuri people. Two of the perpetrators went on to hunt and capture the bushrangers who took part in the convict rebellion. As incensed as the author felt, was she entitled to relate the events surrounding the murder, inquest and trial, from the perspective of the female victims? What are the ethical considerations that these new facts demand? Whose truth is it and who can speak to it?
Dr. Jeanette M. Thompson is presenting on Rebellious Facts and Comforting Fictions, and Writing Residencies.
Author supplied biography.