AustLit

'In life, Bennelong was by no means the only mediator between the Aboriginal peoples of the Sydney region and the colonists, but across the latter half of the twentieth century, he took on a singular role as chief intermediary between the present and the past. It is through Bennelong's story that many Australians feel they know something of the great encounter between the invading Europeans and the Australian Aborigines, and something of the truth of its outcomes.

Storytellers have demonstrated a loyalty to Bennelong's tragedy or failure across significant shifts in Australian and Aboriginal historiography. This paper begins to explore some of the variations on Bennelong's tragic story, attempts to separate out some of its layers of plausibility, and to enquire into the possible meanings of this repeated reinscription of cross-cultural tragedy.' Source (adapated) : Emma Dortins.