Author(s): Scott Seymour; George Brown; Roger Karge

Indigenous History

On a day in March 1830, an old, dishevelled man shuffled into Government House in Hobart. He said his name was Edward White and he had come to give evidence before the Aborigines Committee of Inquiry. He claimed he had been an eye-witness to a terrible massacre, a massacre of Aboriginal people that had occurred 26 years earlier at Risdon Cove - the site of the first British settlement in Van Diemen's Land. His words would change the course of Tasmanian history for, not only did they affect the way we think of Risdon Cove today, but they have also played a big part in our story of colonisation and the fate of the Tasmanian Aboriginal people. He appeared seemingly out of obscurity, gave his testimony, and then disappeared. But who was this mysterious Edward White and, more importantly, was his testimony true?In ground-breaking new research, Truth-Telling at Risdon Cove answers these very questions. By applying new, advanced researching techniques in the archives of Sydney, Hobart, Britain and Ireland, authors Scott Seymour, George Brown and Roger Karge finally solve the mystery of Edward White and his testimony - and in the process expose how essentially all academic historians today and for the past 200 years has been wrong about Edward White, very wrong.Professional historians, other academics, students, amateur history enthusiasts, convict genealogists and anyone interested in our colonial and Aboriginal history will find this detective story fascinating, educational and inspirational.