Significant Individuals in Australian History

A sad indictment on the way we regard our own history is regarded in our education system. While I can almost forgive them not knowing about Len Beadell, I find it somewhat incredible that a person may finish High School in this country without having heard of Bourke and Wills, Leichhardt, Stuart or Gregory. It's almost as if Australia began with the ill fated Gallipoli landings! While this may have contributed to shaping our National identity I believe the things that truley made us Australian were developed on the backs of many good pioneers in the 140 years before this.


It was our early explorers who actually allowed and encouraged this country to expand through their endeavours. Watkins Tench and his wanderings about Botany Bay, Blaxland, Lawson & Wentworth, allowing the breakout through the Blue Mountains, The Gregory brothers of WA, Mitchell, Sturt, Stuart, Gosse, Giles, Carnegie, Terry just to mention a few (some not that old either). How their efforts are largely forgotten in the modern education system is beyond me.

Any way enough whinging. Good luck Michelle. Timely as I just mentioned a bit about Len building the Gary Junction Road in my latest blog offering.

Cheers

Mick

What a great choice. However a very difficult task to summarise his deeds into a three minute talk. Good luck.

Great choice - he was a significant individual, although as you have found out, not widely recognised.
It's wonderful that your daughter gets to educate her mates. I'm sure the atomic bomb part of the story will get their attention (the surveying and road building aspects may be a little less enthralling for them).

And we mustn't forget Frank Hann who probably covered more of Western Australia's northwest and east than any one else. I am sure he named more sites in his explorations than any other explorer. He also did extensive work in Queensland as well.

Sludgie

Yeah - my Dad & I have had this discussion on the road over various campfires. Apart from Len & obvious explorers, we've come the the conclusion that probably the greatest or most significant Australian from history would probably be John Flynn.

Apart from the Inland Mission & eventually the RFDS, he was also responsible for supporting Alf Treagar with development of the pedal radio, user of airplanes for rescue, and the RFDS Network lead to the school of the air. He also had a hand in assisting in the initial governance and set up of the CWA.

Name any other Australian who did more than Flynn in bring the remote parts of our country together.

Michelle,

If your daughter has travelled theses roads, has photographs of them, has read the plaques etc scattered throughout then her knowledge should not have required her do any further research. Her primary knowledge should have been enough and primary research is the best there is.

I believe she would have had enough information garnered from trips and you to present an excellent 3 minute talk on Len Beadell. Her speech should be riveting due to her knowledge and experience.

Di

There is a National Trust property near Launceston which has, amongst other things, a very large map hung on a wall. This map plots the major exploration treks done by the early explorers. Sorry, I cannot remember the property, but whereever it is, the map, or a good copy of it should be placed in the National Library and other places of significance throughout this land.

The exploits of Burke & Wills come to light starkly when you stand at the Dig Tree and read their story. OK - they were crazy, but they had the drive to go out and see what was there. To stand at the base of Chambers Pillar and look around to realise that pioneers walked this country, their pack animals carrying all their supplies, whilst we drive out there in air-conditioned, softly sprung 4WD's - that makes you think about those brave souls who opened up the country for us to follow. They were all heroes - most of them remain unknown to this day.

Yes, I was initially rather surprised to learn the teachers didn't know of Len. I keep forgetting our interest in the outback is niche indeed. After talking about our trip to Maralinga last year, we realised very few of our friends had ever heard of it/knew atomic bombs had been released here. Seems it really was a rather hush hush part of Australia's history - significant though! I think her talk will indeed be difficult to make riveting but it will be original. I'm hoping to find some great "stories" that she can use to "impress" the audience, but so far the stories I've found are interesting to adults and those from the era that would appreciate the harsh reality of his work. Kids today (and some adults) are a hard case to impress! It's all .... "meh!"

Emily Caroline Creaghe.
You will need to Google this one :)

Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 Motorhome.

Hi all,

Sir Hubert Wilkins is one of the greatest Australians ever. There are so many achievements and accolades bestowed on this guy.

It is a great shame that more do not know of him, but if you take the time to learn about him and what he did you will forever remember him and one of our greatest.

Col.

Harry Redford, Ned Kelly, Capt Starlight just to name a few. Bob

Hi Michelle,
While reading your post,.... I sort of pre emted what you were going to say......so sad really,..... Im sure your daughter will do a wonderful presentation on Len Beadell.
And I'm sure Doug T will be reading this post & in a couple of weeks on a Sunday morning we will learn more about wonderful 'forgotten' names..... not really forgotten.
I really would love to be in the classroom when your daughter gives her presentation!

len Beadel came to the town hall years ago for his talk on his books

A few people will throw in worthy votes but one that may be a bit left of field
is
Colin Theile
ptobablly the most prolific writer of uniquely australian stories for Children/young adults

Stories like flash flood
flip flop and the tiger snake
February Dragon (my favourite)
Blue Fin
Storm Boy
Magpie island (another favourite)
sun on the stubble
fire in the stone
albatross one

all graced our bookshelfs as kids

Len Beadell is regarded as that last of the great Australian explorers.
I have always thought he should be properly recognised alongside the likes of our other well regarded explorers.

Topical article here on Robert O'Hara Bourke's pistol. Good to see these items in a safe place.

Cheers,

Val

I worked at Weapons Research Establishment in Salisbury S.A. from the late 60's to mid 80's. Len Beadell was working there as a graphic artist at the time and produced a number of artworks for the projects I was working on so I worked with him on a number of occasions. His achievements were far less well known then than they seem to be now.

I also met Alf Traeger at an engineering conference in Adelaide in the early 70's, but to be perfectly honest, at the time, I did not know about his role in developing the pedal radio.

My public education history classes were all about British and European history with not a mention of Australian history; what a pity.

I have a keen interest in history now and in my opinion, Sir John Monash would have to be one of the greatest Australians of all time.

Charles Kingsford Smith

So far much has been made of explorers and rightly so , but I think that some of the writers who contributions helped mould our Australian psyche going forward at that time,such as Henry Lawson and Banjo Patterson are worthy of note. Regards john y

We are now a couple of generations down the track since real Australian history has been taught in our schools....we are now teacing children and young adults things most will have no use for in later life.....treaching art, drama, media production and industrail design may all be worthy ideas.....but less the 1% of the students studying these subjects will ever earn a living from them.

I think too a lot if this has fallen by the way side because their activities do not fall in with political correctness.

I am sure many Aboriginals will view Jacky Jacky as a trator rather than a hero that saved Kenedy's life.

I am sure very few white or black hear the whole story of Albert Namajura....one of the worlds greatest landscape painters....though it could shine much light on some issues.

I am sure it just seems to hard to tell the whole truth about some of the great figures of Australian history......because they are all flawed humans like the rest of us.

Combine what the white Australian establishment dont want heard and what black Australia find offencive, what the greenies don't like and the commercial establishment want to surpress and there is not much history left to tell.


Oh and of course our televisions are so chocked full of murder, sport, reality television and imported overseas content there is very little room for the Australian documentaries of the past like we saw from Jack Absalom, the Leyland brothers and Less hiddens Et all...all of which had slabs of history mortatred together with adventure and good information.

Sad...very sad
cheers

It really depends on time frame /era that the Teacher is wanting the project to address , tis a long road from James Cook through to Peter Cosgrove with hundreds of thousands in between who have all made significant contribution to Australian history…...

Hi Michelle


Great subject, and I know one that I bet very few would have ever heard of, and my great grandfather was a member of his expedition in the late 1800's..............Hubbe.



Now let them see if they can find out when and where he went.......lol



Cheers


Stephen

Yagan, Jandamarra, Mabo

Here's one that heaps won't know about, James Tyson. Even bailed the QLD government out once when they were almost broke.

Oh And by the way he was my great great uncle. So I am told.

But I will say that what is significant for one is not for another so that's how we lose this history.

Phil

Who was James Tyson