On Mon, 2009-11-23 at 11:52 +1100, Max Richards wrote:
> Is your part of outback NSW near Eric Rolls's 'Million Wild Acres'?
> ... wonderful book, what I read of it...
Million Wild Acres is the Pilliga Forest. My family go back to the
original settlers of the Pilliga region, originally from Wales, England
and Scotland. It is classic subaltern, as the lower or younger members
of the 19th century gentlemanly classes who do not inherit property and
migrate to the colonies to establish themselves.
A history of a colonial settler state such as Australia is actually
three histories, that of the original occupants, in this case the
Kamilaroi people, the histories of the subaltern settlers and the
official colonial history. Other then acknowledging the Kamilaroi as the
people who always inhabited this region I have little more to say,
considering this their stories which they should be left free to tell or
not tell, as suits them. The personal histories of the original settlers
is an area I have been researching a little more, since this is also
what could be called a minor history which is again over-coded by the
official major history of the colonial state.
It is interesting that the Wilkins side of my family dispute the
historical accuracy of Roll's book, since George Wilkins (my great
grandfather) established the first saw mill and logging operation in the
Pilliga forest. He also produced pre-cut timber as pre-fabricated
housing which was transported to Sydney and put together on site. He
also invented and introduced the rotary clothes line to Australia which
Hills later patented as the hoist and which became a feature of 1960s
Australian backyards. (I don't have the reference, but this comes from
published research by a cousin, Rex Meyers, who some time ago I am told
was VC of Macquarie Uni, although I haven't checked this.)
The way these more personal histories weave their ways through official
histories and also by their absence can be used to make explicit the way
that colonial rule deconstructs the landscape as a colonial
appropriation. (I trust it is understood that there is no such thing as
private ownership of land in Australia. It belongs to the Crown which
colonialism establishes as the rightful owner. So no private people can
own land. To attempt to do so is treason and the legal penalty is rather
nasty.)
best, Chris Jones.
(PS Marx also covers this in last ch of Capital Vol 1)
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