Capt James Fraser with his ship the Stirling Castle (its cargo was mostly 'grog') shipwrecked 200km north of Fraser Island.
There they were taken care of by the local Aboriginals. With his wife Eliza and 11 survivors were looked after in a place known as 'Paradise' when translated.
The 'reports' later say that Fraser & Co were 'captured' and that Fraser died of Malnutrition and Spear wounds. Eliza seems to have 'escaped' via an Irish convict who just happened to be living with them for some years (obviously not malnourished).
The group was later rescued by a band of European soldiers and she claimed she was mistreated and abused by the Aboriginals.
Lonely Planet founder Tony Wheeler, in his book 'Islands of Australia' says that there are 'conflicting' reports about that moment. Eliza Fraser, being paid for her tales, reports her six weeks up there as 'captivity' and abuse. So it roused public anger and Soldiers were sent up to 'genocide' that tribe from that area.
The only apparent conflict is that the 'others' said they were all well treated, fed and given refuge. But it seems the prima-donas of James and his Wife thought otherwise. It must have been an assault on their egos that they needed to be cared for by 'primitives'.
But the other reports of 'good treatment' came too late for the Aboriginals who were 'butchered' on the whims of Eliza's fragile little eggshell accusations.
This kinda sums up the entirety of Australian early Colonial History - where one half took the negative approach and the other half wondered what all the fuss was about.
Even during the Aboriginal uprising in the Wiradjiri area.
Many 'white' Families who got on well with the Aboriginals were not attacked and were given a representative for their protection, while hordes of Abos scoured the lands for the evil Whites and their guns after a Greenkeeper decided to shoot one of them on a pathetic whim.
It's obvious that those who take the negative approach to Abos are the perpetraitors of evil in the form of genocides and massacres (because they happen to just have a bigger stick
in their technological superiority). While the majority of Australians appreciated the Aboriginals and did 'co-exist' harmoniously.
One Farming Family were so, when the Aboriginals kept their lands clean, clear and well maintained at the cost of the odd sheep being taken for food. It was a symbiotic relationship. But not all Farmers thought that way and took 'absolutism and extremism' in eradicating 'people' like vermin and pests.
Thankfully, today - we are seeing more of the truth coming out and the decent Australians can 'co-exist' with an Aboriginal presence here, like they do with any other people's around the world that come here.
...but then you have the racists, who can't compete fairly because they are lacking and must 'destroy' the competition at all costs with lies and violence. Much like American Economics works.
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Invasion Day (Read 93502 times)
