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USQ lecturer on Qld Literary Award shortlist by Sarah Balderson 20 September 2015
T
he extraordinary story of an Aboriginal resistance fighter on the colonial frontier is in the running for this year’s Queensland Literary Awards. Warrior, written by University of Southern Queensland (USQ) senior lecturer Dr Libby Connors, has been shortlisted for the Premier’s Award for a work of State Significance. The story follows young warrior Dundalli’s dramatic life and death while giving a compelling portrait of life in the early days of white settlement in Brisbane and south east Queensland.
Dr Connors has always been fascinated not just by colonial history but also by the history of law in Australia. She is vice-president of the Australian and New Zealand Law and History Society and has given conference papers exploring the persistence of Aboriginal law and enforcement. “Dundalli, the subject of the book, was an Aboriginal law man who came up against the supreme court of New South Wales and continued to defy colonialism even from the gallows,” Dr Connors said. Warrior is up against Anna Bligh’s memoir and other impressive works for the state’s prestigious literary prize. Dr Connors said she was
USQ senior lecturer Dr Libby Connors’ book Warrior has been shortlisted in this year’s Queensland Literary Awards. Image supplied
delighted that Dundalli’s story might become better known by Queenslanders as a result of the book being shortlisted. “He was an important Aboriginal leader and deserves similar recognition to that of Yagan and Midgegoroo in Western Australia and Pemulwuy in New South Wales. “I hope it makes Australians better understand the dynamism, integrity and dignity of the Aboriginal side of the colonial encounter.” The book was released earlier this year to wide acclaim. “I have had strangers stop me in the street in Brisbane to tell me how much they have enjoyed Warrior,” Dr Connors said. “The events the book covers
were an integral part of the foundation of this state but surprisingly little known. “I think people love knowing the stories of the traditional peoples of south east Queensland and how the Bora men and their warriors sought to engage with colonial authorities. “But also how good hearted people on both sides of the cultural divide sought to defuse and limit conflict and protect their people.” Dr Connors is a senior lecturer in history at USQ and co-author of Australia’s Frontline and A History of the Australian Environment Movement. She will give a public lecture at the Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery on Thursday, October 1, that relates to events covered in Warrior.
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