But memories of colonial project to wipe out Tasmania’s natives boost yes campaign on island
Patsy Cameron stands in her dining room in Tomahawk – a small fishing village on the north-east coast of Tasmania, Australia. She tells a story – a few decades old – of how she boarded a plane back from Darwin, her hands full of cultural objects she had bought. The man next to her turned and said: “They should have shot them all like they did to the Tasmanians.” She started crying. He responded by offering her a piece of cake, and an apology.
Behind her is a cabinet full of shell necklaces and drawings of her ancestors. The home she shares with her husband, Graham, is filled with cultural artefacts that the historian learned to make by reading diaries and anthologies of colonisers. Piece by piece she has put history back together. Piece by piece she is reviving her culture.
More Stories
Fight to stop Tesla project in South Australia to continue after council approval
Alleged attack on Chinese couple leads 30,000 people to sign petition to toughen Australian youth crime laws
One Nation picks up surprise NSW Senate seat for former British soldier Warwick Stacey