HOW BRITAIN INVADED
AUSTRALIA
Britain discovered Australia in the late 18th
century, after 60,000 years of Aboriginal
life. 60,000 years. Think about that. This
society had found ways of surviving, living
off the land, for all that time.
No industrial revolution, no slavery, no
destruction and devastation necessary.
Their culture is so valuable and we could
learn so many important lessons, like how
to look after our planet and be resourceful
while still preserving the world for
generations to come.
In 1770 the first white men landed on
the east coast. Lieutenant James Cook
claimed possession of the east coast of
Australia for the British Crown. Cook saw
the Aborigines living in small groups and
assumed they were backward savages.
They were subsequently classed as fauna
(animals), not even human.
WHY DID THE BRITISH
COLONISE AUSTRALIA
The new settlement was designed to
alleviate overcrowding in British prisons,
expand the Empire, assert Britain's claim to
the territory against other colonial powers,
and establish a British base in the global
South. So the main reason for the atrocities
committed? Power and money.
By 1788 Captain Arthur Phillip and 1,500
convicts, crew, marines and civilians arrived
at Sydney Cove with the impression of the
Aborigines as inferior firm in their minds.
Because the indigenous civilisations did
not appear as advanced as the British,
in terms of things like riding horses,
permanent homes and wearing fancy
clothing, the colonists believed they could
treat the indigenous people how they
pleased.
WHAT HAPPENED AFTER
CAN ONLY BE DESCRIBED
AS EVIL
They were hunted down and brutally
murdered. This can be seen in the
Massacres Map, a map which shows the
extent of the slaughter to indigenous
groups from British colonists.
The map includes details about the
number of people killed at each site and
which weapons were used, the massacres
12
ISSUE 102 / 2017
GUESTLIST
We are encouraged to be proud of our nation, and most
people are. But when the history we are taught glosses
over the real story, we must question; what kind of
foundation is this pride built upon? We will be laying
down some real truths about what happened during
British Colonialism.
HOW BRITAIN COLONISED
AUSTRALIA
BAD HISTORY