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'... a first class account by one of the great characters of the Territory. There were always decent Australians of all races and colours who formed friendships across artificial barriers and respected individuals as individuals. Let this book serve to restore some balance.' - The Honourable Austin Asche QC, Administrator (Ret'd), Northern Territory For more than a century the savagery of the indigenous tribes of Arnhem Land kept the white man at bay. Explorers passing through the rugged hinterland fired rockets at night to frighten off hostile tribesmen; there were chilling reports of cannibalistic rites.Into this country, at the end of the Second World War, came the young Syd Kyle-Little, ...
This book presents the story of Australian Lieutenant Colonel Syd Kyle-Little's involvement in the Malayan 'Emergency' of 1951-1956. This was a guerrilla war fought between the Commonwealth Armed Forces and the military arm of the Malayan Communist Party, in which Syd Kyle-Little commanded a force of 12,000 Malay villagers. Kyle-Little was a larger-than-life character - the type of man that Australia's Northern Territory seems to breed better than many other parts of the country. His keen observations and diligent record-keeping make this book engaging and often disturbing reading as he articulately describes years of training and fighting in inhospitable jungle. The men who fought in this c...
Why did the Methodist missionaries seek out the full blood tribal yolngu (Aborihinal) of north-east Arnhem Land who fiercely resisted intruders into their practically unknown and untamed country? One answer was the Bible, and another was by the 1920s the plight of the Australian Aboriginee because of contact with Europeans across wide Australia. What did happen to the yolngu who lived by their own laws at the time of the arrival of the first Europeans, the Christian mission balanda in 1923, when they settled onto their land? Yolngu from (law) was enforced by the spear throughout their lands until the missionaries with the Bible and the cross of Jesus arrived. The Australian Police then, alth...
Accompanied by Turkey, his little 'hunting' dog, Derek Pugh founded several outstation schools in the most remote parts of Arnhem Land and gained a rare insight into a traditional way of life which has been witnessed by only a few outsiders. By turns reflective, tragic and hilarious, Turn Left at the Devil Tree is a memoir of a visiting teacher among the Indigenous people and wildlife of the Top End of Australia. It is also a history - revealing some little known and disturbing events that were sanctioned from the highest levels of government. Life there was "frustrating at times, but always a challenge and Derek has recorded his experiences beautifully in this delightful book". Ted Egan AO
'If Ray Mears isn't a Great Living Englishman, then goodness me, who is? Ray is a persuader, pragmatist and populariser in the Durrell-Attenborough-Bellamy tradition.' - Robert Crampton, The Times Ray Mears is a household name through his television series Tracks, World of Survival, Bushcraft Survival, The Real Heroes of Telemark and many more. He is a private individual who shuns publicity whenever possible and would prefer to let his many skills tell their own tale - until now. In My Outdoor Life, Ray tells of his childhood and the formative years when he first developed a passion for both bushcraft and the martial arts skills that are central to his life. Having travelled the world severa...
Patricia Evans was born in Myrtleford, Victoria, and now lives in Queensland, Australia. During her time in Victoria, she was publicity officer for Red Cross. She wrote numerous articles for the Red Cross magazine and many local newspapers. She also conducted a monthly radio broadcast on the local radio station and arranged many TV interviews for visiting dignitaries on the local TV station. She was presented with the Red Cross Service award for her work and dedication to Red Cross. During a holiday in Darwin Northern Territory, she was overwhelmed at the records of Second World War activity, which occurred there, and the ignorance of most Australians on such an important part of our history. She then spent several years studying the events in Darwin and the Top End of Australia during the bombing by the Japanese and all that followed.
Histories of the colonisation of Australia have recognised distinct periods or eras in the colonial relationship: ‘protection’ and ‘assimilation’. It is widely understood that, in 1973, the Whitlam Government initiated a new policy era: ‘self-determination’. Yet, the defining features of this era, as well as how, why and when it ended, are far from clear. In this collection we ask: how shall we write the history of self-determination? How should we bring together, in the one narrative, innovations in public policy and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander initiatives? How (dis)continuous has ‘self-determination’ been with ‘assimilation’ or with what came after? Among the ...
Biology and Evolution of Crocodylians is a comprehensive review of current knowledge about the world's largest and most famous living reptiles. Gordon Grigg's authoritative and accessible text and David Kirshner's stunning interpretive artwork and colour photographs combine expertly in this contemporary celebration of crocodiles, alligators, caimans and gharials. This book showcases the skills and capabilities that allow crocodylians to live how and where they do. It covers the biology and ecology of the extant species, conservation issues, crocodylian–human interaction and the evolutionary history of the group, and includes a vast amount of new information; 25 per cent of 1100 cited publications have appeared since 2007. Richly illustrated with more than 500 colour photographs and black and white illustrations, this book will be a benchmark reference work for crocodylian biologists, herpetologists and vertebrate biologists for years to come.
Mickey Dewar made a profound contribution to the history of the Northern Territory, which she performed across many genres. She produced high‑quality, memorable and multi-sensory histories, including the Cyclone Tracy exhibition at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory and the reinterpretation of Fannie Bay Gaol. Informed by a great love of books, her passion for history was infectious. As well as offering three original chapters that appraise her work, this edited volume republishes her first book, In Search of the Never-Never. In Dewar’s comprehensive and incisive appraisal of the literature of the Northern Territory, she provides brilliant, often amusing insights into the ever-changing representations of a region that has featured so large in the Australian popular imagination
Country, native title and ecology all converge in this volume to describe the dynamic intercultural context of land and water management on Indigenous lands. Indigenous people’s relationships with country are discussed from various speaking positions, including identity and knowledge, the homelands debate, water planning, climate change and market environmentalism. The inter-disciplinary chapters range from an ethnographic description of living waters in the Great Sandy Desert, negotiating the eradication of yellow crazy ants in Arnhem Land, and legal analysis of native title rights in emerging carbon markets. A recurrent theme is the contentions over meaning, knowledge, and authority. “...