The man, the land, the book and the song

The only known likeness of Pemulwuy, c.1801

It all started when my friend Louise mentioned that she had been on a chilly walk to the Pemulwuy shops today. The name sounded familiar, but it was a name and nothing more.

When I went to Belmont Public School in the 1950s and 60s, we did hear about Bennelong and we learnt about the local Awabakal tribe, but that was about it.

I'm guessing that the children of the 21st century would know that Pemulwuy was The Rainbow Warrior, a brave man who didn't take the arrival of the European boat people lying down.

If they were at all curious, they would also discover so easily that because the city of Sydney is built on his land, his name has been given to a Sydney suburb near Greystanes, and that he is the subject of a stirring novel by Eric Willmot, which inspired Paul Jarman's moving choral piece.

The linked articles from The Australian Dictionary of Biography are fascinating, as is the current Pemulwuy entry in Wikipedia. Matilda Media and See Pictures intend to produce a feature film, telling the story of Pemulwuy's battle for his people.

If you would like to read about Jarman's song, please scroll down this link to an article the composer has written about two of his compositions. The article gives musical examples, the story of the work's creation and also the lyrics which you might like to read through as you listen to this thrilling performance of the song by 500 male voices in the Voices of Birralee concert finale in the Queensland Performing Arts Centre in  2011.