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7 August

Bruce Watt - Dharawal: The First Contact People

 Bruce is a former teacher, a local historian and president of the Sutherland Shire Historical Society. He will speak on his book, Dharawal the The First Contact People and will describe the experiences of the Dharawal people  that is both relevant to the Sutherland Shire and the nation. In 1770 the first encounter between British and Aboriginal people on the east coast of Australia occurred at Botany Bay. For the British it heralded the beginning of endless possibility for Empire. For Aboriginal people it marked the beginning of the decimation of an ancient culture.The Dharawal book is full of interesting and real stories, it's not just a textbook full of facts, it is a difficult story but it needs to be told.

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4 September

Our previously advised speaker, Leonie Bell has had to postpone her talk. Please visit this page again for details of the speaker for our September meeting
 

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2 October

Greg Jackson & Pam Forbes - The Quarantine Station

Greg and Pam will speak about the North Head Quarantine Station near Manly. Through the history and archaeology of the Quarantine Station they will explore not only changes to medical and transport technology but also the social history of modern Australia. For more than 150 years, the Quarantine Station was a place to detain anyone arriving in the colony who might have an infectious disease, until it was considered safe to release them. However, it was also used as a tool to uphold social standards, manipulate immigration and control the nation’s borders.

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