The Australian Wars

I recently watched this extraordinary 3 part documentary series. It is a brutal, fascinating, beautifully made documentary about the early colonisation of Australia and the omission from history and the lack of recognition by the various war memorials, of the frontier wars that occurred between Indigenous Australians and the colonials. This series is very distressing. Like most my age, at school I learned nothing of these wars, which are analogous to the much known wars between the American settlers and the native Americans. The Australian history I was taught was largely British history concerned with just the discovery, settlement, a bit about the convicts and Eureka Stockade - that was it. The main players, the governors of the colonies were portrayed as chivalrous gentlemen, no perpetrators of destruction.

The first episode concentrates on New South Wales, the second episode on Tasmania and the third on Queensland and W. A. and it is the third one that really, really upset me. The atrocities perpetrated on the Indigenous Australians are horrific. I think this is one of the most powerful and important documentary series I've ever seen and it should be compulsory viewing for all Australians. It's approached from an historical academic perspective, with interviews with historians and review of original records, and the previously ignored oral history of the Indigenous Australians. The documentary is made by Rachel Perkins, daughter of Charles Perkins and she does a wonderful job. She has a beautiful voice when narrating and the cinematography and production values are superb.