Aboriginal history recorded

THE written history of early Australian settlers’ conflict with indigenous tribes has been largely recorded the massacre sites and the numbers killed, with few details of First Peoples’ victories. The same could not be said about the Battle of One Tree Hill, but that has changed thanks to the work of historians Ray Kerkhove and Frank Uhr. Their latest book, The Battle of One Tree Hill, is a retelling of the conflict using news reports and government documents complied at the time. Mr Kerkhove said the Multuggerah’s campaign against Darling Downs settlers had be mostly forgotten, but was shocking in its day. “The conflict kept settlers out of the district for a number of years,” he said. “There were a lot of news articles written about the conflict, important politicians made speeches about it and Multuggerah was featured in the novel on the 1800s.”

Such was the ferocity of the resistance that the British were forced to re-direct soldiers from the Maori wars in New Zealand, sending them to the Lockyer Valley.

Part of Multuggerah’s success lay in his ability to mobilise warriors from across language groups and his knowledge of the terrain.

At one point his warriors feigned a retreat and led the soldiers and settles on a frantic chase though the forest.

Without knowing, the whites walked into a trap and were pelted by stones and boulders from Multuggerah’s men, positioned on the high country above them.

Mr Kerkhove’s book is part of a larger body of work looking at First Peoples’ tactics.

“There is a bit of myth that all they did was throw a few spears, but they were actually brilliant fighters,” he said.

“There were alliances involving multiple groups and there was often hundreds of warriors lining up to attack a settlement.

“They knew how to use the environment and they could throw multiple barrages of spears, with great accuracy and often a the same range the settlers early firearms.”

Photos: Bev Lacey

The Battle of the One Tree Hill: The resistance that shocked Queensland was launched at a ceremony commemorating the campaign, on Friday.

Battle of One Tree Hill, SPECIAL HONOUR: Darby McCarthy was presented with a painting by Kim Walmsley in recognition of his involvement in creating the history, honouring local Aboriginal Warrior, Multuggerah. One Tree Hill is now known as Table Top Mountain.

Battle of One Tree Hill co-authors Ray Kerkhove and Frank Uhr at battle’s anniversary celebration.