On Monday afternoon, the work of one of our Year 11 students and emerging young historians was celebrated at an awards ceremony held in the historic, heritage listed United Services Club Queensland on Wickham Terrace. Emily was honoured for her excellent work in history, awarded as winner of the Indigenous History category and highly commended overall for Year 11 work at the state-wide Queensland History Teachers Association 2019 Historical Writing Competition. Emily's winning essay was on The Legacy of the Queensland Frontier Wars, with an extract provided here:
"After decades of denial in the wake of the atrocities committed in the Queensland Frontier Wars, Australians are beginning to acknowledge their bloodstained legacy. The hegemonic attitudes, values and beliefs on the Frontier amongst European settlers and Aboriginal peoples; the widespread practice of poisoning; the legacy of the Native Police force and the other government-sanctioned laws and practices, as contributing to Frontier violence; and the contestability of statistically estimating the scale of this conflict, may be considered significant in raising the historical consciousness of the nation. Although the mortality rates of Frontier violence are still a topic of monumental contestation, the increasing promotion of marginalised and silenced perspectives in the media, education and politics, raises Australia's historical consciousness. Recognition of the historical significance of the Frontier Wars may foster a much-needed awareness in paving the path to eventual reconciliation."
Congratulations Emily! We are very proud of Emily's achievements and it is great to see wider recognition of the wonderful work being done by our students and staff in the History department at KG.