Eureka: One bloody Sunday
Reviewed By Janet Mawdesley May 11, 2019
Author Hugh Dolan, illustrated by Dave Dye
Distributor: New South Books
ISBN: 9781742235950
Publisher: New South Pulications
Release Date: March 2019
Website: https://www.newsouthbooks.com.au
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Australian history, like all history is filled with the foolhardy, fascinating and downright horror stories, much of which over many years as been tidied up nicely for general consumption. But as time moves on and the desire to dig a little deeper into the reality of our history increases, the facts are often not as lovely and palatable as first provided.
Eureka Stockade is just one of these pivotal moments in Australian history that rates up there as perhaps the bloodiest battle between white settlers in Australian History; a day that goes down in history as shameful, from whichever perspective it is viewed.
But as a discussion piece into the motivating forces on all sides, it is one that draws many parallels with the modern history of today, and the issues that were fought over then, such as unfair taxes, poverty and the rights of people to have voice in Parliament, along with of course, gold.
In this revisiting of Eureka, Hugh Dolan and Dave Dye have created more than the history, they have in graphic novel style, introduced the many aspects of this event and allowed you, the reader to make the decisions as to what Eureka was really all about: rebellion, protest, multiculturalism or so much more.
As Hugh Dolan states, it is important to understand the history of your country, it is important to be able to make history talk to all ages and generations and it is important the true facts are revealed, rather than the simplified and sanitised version.
Australian history is colourful, important, contains the building blocks of a country that is still considered as young, from the perspective of white settlement, and plays such an important role in the future of the Country.
In Eureka One Bloody Sunday, Hugh Dolan and Dave Dye have created a modern narrative for a story not that old, offering the young, modern mind the privilege to decide whether history is important and do the values of the past still resonate with the visions for the future.
Is it important to know where we came from and the influences of the past is a question which needs to be answered at the end of this sad and tragic slice of Australia history.