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y separately published work icon Pathfinders : A History of Aboriginal Trackers in NSW multi chapter work   biography  
Issue Details: First known date: 2020... 2020 Pathfinders : A History of Aboriginal Trackers in NSW
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'There are few Aboriginal icons in White Australia history.

'From the explorer to the pioneer, the swagman to the drover’s wife, with a few bushrangers for good measure, Europeans play all the leading roles. A rare exception is the redoubtable tracker. With skills passed down over millennia, trackers could trace the movements of people across vast swathes of country. Celebrated as saviours of lost children and disoriented adults, and finders of missing livestock, they were also cursed by robbers on the run.

'Trackers live in the collective memory as one of the few examples of Aboriginal people’s skills being sought after in colonial society. In New South Wales alone, more than a thousand Aboriginal men and a smaller number of women toiled for authorities across the state after 1862. This book tells the often unlikely stories of trackers including Billy Bogan, Jimmy Governor, Tommy Gordon, Frank Williams and Alec Riley.

'Through his work on native title claims, historian Michael Bennett realised that the role of trackers – and how they moved between two worlds – has been largely unacknowledged. His important book reveals that their work grew out of traditional society and was sustained by the vast family networks that endure to this day. Pathfinders brings the skilled and diverse work of trackers not only to the forefront of law enforcement history but to the general shared histories of black and white Australia.' (Publication summary)

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

    • Sydney, New South Wales,: NewSouth Publishing , 2020 .
      image of person or book cover 4789432246985708384.jpg
      This image has been sourced from online.
      Extent: 336p.
      Note/s:
      • Published: 1st March 2020
      ISBN: 9781742236568

Other Formats

  • Large print.
  • Dyslexic edition.
  • Braille.

Works about this Work

[Review] Pathfinders : a History of Aboriginal Trackers in NSW Bill Wilson , 2020 single work review
— Appears in: Journal of the Royal Australian Historical Society , December vol. 106 no. 2 2020; (p. 225-227)

— Review of Pathfinders : A History of Aboriginal Trackers in NSW Michael Bennett , 2020 multi chapter work biography
'Pathfinders is a long-overdue book detailing the history of Aboriginal trackers working with the New South Wales Police.' (Introduction)
Catalyst and Curio : The Dank Spectre of Racism Michael Winkler , 2020 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , May no. 421 2020; (p. 45)

— Review of Pathfinders : A History of Aboriginal Trackers in NSW Michael Bennett , 2020 multi chapter work biography

'The Aboriginal tracker is a stock character in certain Australian films, employed as set dressing, catalyst, curio. Although fictional trackers have been celebrated on celluloid, few real trackers have been given life within the national memory. Some people may recall Billy Dargin and his role in locating and shooting Ben Hall. Others might think of Dubbo’s Tracker Riley, or Dick-a-Dick, who found the missing Cooper and Duff children near Natimuk in 1864 when they had been given up for dead.' (Introduction)

Catalyst and Curio : The Dank Spectre of Racism Michael Winkler , 2020 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , May no. 421 2020; (p. 45)

— Review of Pathfinders : A History of Aboriginal Trackers in NSW Michael Bennett , 2020 multi chapter work biography

'The Aboriginal tracker is a stock character in certain Australian films, employed as set dressing, catalyst, curio. Although fictional trackers have been celebrated on celluloid, few real trackers have been given life within the national memory. Some people may recall Billy Dargin and his role in locating and shooting Ben Hall. Others might think of Dubbo’s Tracker Riley, or Dick-a-Dick, who found the missing Cooper and Duff children near Natimuk in 1864 when they had been given up for dead.' (Introduction)

[Review] Pathfinders : a History of Aboriginal Trackers in NSW Bill Wilson , 2020 single work review
— Appears in: Journal of the Royal Australian Historical Society , December vol. 106 no. 2 2020; (p. 225-227)

— Review of Pathfinders : A History of Aboriginal Trackers in NSW Michael Bennett , 2020 multi chapter work biography
'Pathfinders is a long-overdue book detailing the history of Aboriginal trackers working with the New South Wales Police.' (Introduction)
Last amended 22 Oct 2021 11:32:34
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