BacchChat community seminars returned to the Lerderderg Library for 2023 on Saturday, March 4 with an opportunity to learn about “challenging” aspects of Moorabool’s colonial history.
The session was led by Federation University Aboriginal History Associate Professor Fred Cahir who spoke on his 2019 book ‘My Country All Gone, the White Men Have Stolen It: the invasion of Wadawurrung Country, 1800-1870’.
Dr Cahir said his historical focus is the “shared history” of relations between aboriginal people of Australia and the colonisers that invaded Australia commencing formally in 1788.
His book focuses on Wadawurrung Country, which includes Moorabool, Bacchus Marsh, and Geelong areas and uses the invader’s own words taken from diaries, official records and letter.
He said he wrote it to “help illuminate to people how the invasion occurred and what type of relationships were developed on the frontier in the colonial period”.
“I really enjoy these opportunities,” he said.
“I do travel quite widely across Victoria and really enjoy sharing the stories… in those histories that have to a great extent remained hidden and invisible,” he said.
“We have a really, really rich history that we’re not fully understanding of yet and I guess I want to paint the finer brushstrokes to that historical canvas.”
Moorabool mayor Rod Ward said that council is “excited to offer another year full of BacchChat events”.
“These are always interesting, inspiring and well-attended events that attract great authors and guest speakers,” he said.
“There’s a lot more to our libraries than books – our libraries offer a fantastic range of services and events for all ages and interests.”
