My People the Aboriginal People Took Care of This Place; We Are One with the Land You Call

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Reflection: As I look over the land, where my people have lived, I see the changes. My people changed, the plants and animals have changed too. The land and rivers have changed; things are much different now.

My people the Aboriginal people took care of this place; we are one with the land you call New South Wales.

We respect and care for our Mother Earth as she gives us everything we need to survive. We look after her and make the old spirits happy and then we get ‘juicy’ kangaroo, fish and bush tucker. This is our lore.

My old language has gone to sleep now, but only for a little while. Our country now has many different languages from many different looking people. They have travelled far to work and prosper here.

Now they cross the mountain into more country and the horses walk where our song lines once took us.

A great man, Governor Lachlan Macquarie, started to build this country now called Australia, one that has changed so much in such little time.

Ah yes, we now make big corroboree for Governor Macquarie.

Macquarie’s arrival: Since the landing of the First Fleet, relations were strained between the Aboriginal inhabitants of the land and the Europeans. Governor Macquarie arrived at a time where the settlers were fighting for land and resources whilst the Aboriginal people were fighting for their whole way of life.

Sydney: Prior to his arrival to the colony, Governor Macquarie had been instructed to continue interaction with the Aboriginal people. In his first address to the people of the colony, published in the Sydney Gazette, Governor Macquarie wished to remind the settlers to treat the Aboriginal inhabitants with kindness.

The Native Institution: Believing he was assisting them, Macquarie set out to teach the Aboriginal people of New South Wales the way of the Europeans. To do this, he opened the Native Institution, initially situated in Parramatta and then in Blacktown.

Botany Bay: James Cook’s exploration of Botany Bay in 1770 resulted in great change for the original inhabitants of the land.

Maria Lock:Maria Lock was an exceptional woman. Having spent her earlier years at the Parramatta Native Institution, she was awarded the chief prize in an annual examination. She was assigned a convict, Robert Lock, whom she married in the first legal Aboriginal – European wedding. Maria was given land grants at Blacktown and Liverpool.

Expansion: The rapid European increase in population during Macquarie’s governorship meant the need for land and other resources also grew. Many Aboriginal people were forced further away from the land they had inhabited for many generations.

Resources: Competition for resources extended to the Cumberland Plains, where a great deal of land was cleared for pasture and the collection of building materials. This destruction of the natural environment removed many Aboriginal communities from their homes and many animals – an important food source – from their natural environment.

The Blue Mountains: The European explorers who crossed the Blue Mountains for the first time most likely succeeded due to the following of well-established Aboriginal walking tracks.

Barrier: The Great Dividing Range created a natural barrier for the Europeans, who initially populated the land near Port Jackson.

Joe and Coleby: Governor Macquarie appointed William Cox to supervise the building of a road over the mountain range. In his journal, Cox names two guides, Joe from Mulgoa and Coleby from Richmond. The opening of the land to the west ultimately led to more loss for the Aboriginal people.

Wool: The dry climate presented challenges to early farmers, but ideal pastures and good rivers in the west encouraged many settlers to take up sheep grazing.

Animals: Lack of knowledge of the native wildlife resulted in the introduction of many foreign species of animals. Introduced species such as rabbits have had a devastating effect on Australia’s natural flora and fauna.

Bathurst: Visiting Bathurst, Governor Macquarie met three Wiradjuri men and six boys. He recorded that they spoke a different language to the Aboriginal people within the Sydney region; a recognition of the diversity between Aboriginal communities.

Waterways: Waterways provided Aboriginal people with drinking water, food and transportation. The arrival of the Europeans created significant competition for the natural resources contained within and near the waterways.