this month in history

june 10 of this year marks the 166th anniversary of the myall creek massacre. one afternoon in the mid-1800s, 12 stockmen rode into myall creek, in northern NSW, with sinister determination. they proceeded to round up the Wirrayaraay people, who were living next to the town's station. they found 30 Wirrayaraay in total - elderly people, women and children - and herded them a short distance away from the station. when the Wirrayaraay men later returned from working on another property, they found that their elders, wives and children had been brutally massacred - 2 shot, the rest hacked to death, and all the corpses set alight.

this massacre does not stand alone in Australia's history. countless others occurred during and after invasion. some are known, some forgotten. however the myall creek massacre is historically unique because it was the only massacre of Indigenous people in which the murderers were brought to trial for their crime. a public outcry ensued about the "absurdity" of the trial, as it was commonly believed that although the events did indeed happen, no "crime" had actually been committed. and indeed in the first trial, all 12 men were found not guilty. however when the case was retried, 7 of the men were found guilty of murder, and were hanged for their crime (several of the others had been spared because they testified on behalf of the crown). even though the massacres continued, this was an incredible moment in Australia's history.

the massacre is symbolic of all the massacres and arbitrary killings perpetuated by settlers against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the colonial and post-colonial era. subsequently the recently erected memorial statue at the site of the massacre and the now annual memorial ceremony represent future possibilities for race relations in this country. since the year 2000, descendants of both the victims and perpetrators of the massacre come together annually to memorialise the slain Wirrayaraay people in the spirit of reconciliation.

so, mr. howard, if these people, direct descendants of murderers, can stand up and say sorry for their ancestors' shame, why is it so hard for you?