Chock-full of “biting satire and thought provoking social commentary” (Stage Whispers, 2015) 'A Sunburnt History' dynamically and enthusiastically brings the pages of history to life with music, sketch, lyrical poetry and exuberant physicality.
Writer, performer and dramaturg, Nicholas Waxman has been with 'A Sunburnt History' since its conception. His combination of comedy and education, linked to his not-so-private passion for history makes Nick and 'A Sunburnt History' a scotching match. Nick highlights 5 myths of Australia AND 5 reasons Australia's history is sunburnt:
5 Myths Of AustraliaThanks Captain Cook
We actually should be thanking Joseph Banks, a plant loving, glory hogging (but not in this instance) Englishman. Captain Cook actually dismissed Australia as 'uninhabitable'. It was Mr. J. Banks that suggested Australia as a possible location for a penal colony. Joseph Banks actually thought Australia was just as crap as Captain Cook, but J-Dog wanted to make money from selling and exhibiting the plants and artefacts the First Fleet would bring back.There weren’t many Aboriginals in Australia in 1788
This one is just maths, there were between 300,000-1,000,000 indigenous people living in Australia/ New Holland in 1788. The population of England was around 7.5 million – so, the indigenous people made up of about 5-10 per cent. This might not seem like much, BUT, consider that Australia’s population is a mere 1.6 per cent of China’s population (23 million vs. 1.3 billion). I guess China can just come in and take it! It’s basically no-man’s land anyway.
Joseph BanksAustralia was considered to be Terra Nullius - No Man’s Land
On 26 January, 1788 Governor Arthur Phillip – Captain of the First Fleet – arrived in Port Jackson (not Botany Bay) and declared the land Terra Nullius and establish a British Penal Colony of behalf of King George III. If it really was No Man’s Land, why then, in 1768 did the King of England instruct Captain Cook “with the consent of the natives to take possession of Convenient Situations in the Country”?Burke and Wills made it to the Gulf Of Carpentaria
They didn’t. Best they got was within 10 miles and that was a guess. The only proof is that Wills ‘tasted salty water’. 10 miles may not seem that far, but that’s 16km! That’s the distance between Melbourne Airport and the Queen Victoria Market.
Burke and WillisIndigenous people were the savages
British marines did awful things to indigenous people of Australia. Forced them off land, spread disease, kidnapped them, held them as captive slaves and straight up murdered them. When a small group of Aboriginals were invited to watch the hanging a Englishman that killed one of their tribesmen, the indigenous were disgusted and appalled by the monstrous act. More English sailors have practiced cannibalism than the one example of Aboriginals doing so.5 Reasons Our History Is Sunburnt
Federation is sponsored by racism
One of the first pieces of legislation passed after Federation, under Prime Minister Edmond Barton, was the Immigration Restriction Act (White Australia Policy). It was a major contributing reason why Federation was so strongly supported.{youtube}StV1QmAAsLY{/youtube}
Volunteer armys weren’t volunteers
Prime Minister Alfred Deakin and PM Andrew Fisher introduced National Service for youths between 12-26. This was three months of military service. American Psychological Association states that it takes between two-four weeks to form a life-long habit. National Service lasted three-four times as long, so when Australians were called up to volunteer... I wonder what happenedQueenslanders were the most anti-racist racists
Queensland was against The White Australia Policy (Immigration Restriction Act) they were adamant that Australia should keep its borders open. How lovely! Not really. They were worried that they would have to send their 62,000 South Sea Islander ‘sugar slaves’ back to home if it was passed.{youtube}gd9yGzR1rpk{/youtube}
Arthur Phillip was a self-loathing closeted homosexual that made life hell for LGBTI people
No evidence exists that suggests he was gay, BUT, circumstantial evidence suggests it strongly. In a nutshell; he was very anti-gay. Arthur wanted sodomites executed. Specifically, sent to NZ to be eaten by cannibals. A 2009 study suggests the more anti-gay you are the more likely it is you have homosexual desires. Arthur was married once, to a widow, the quickly divorced, he had no children and spent most of his life at sea, with other men. If he was gay, it adds insult to injury, because he was responsible for 206 years of anti-sodomy law in Australia. What a savage.
Arthur PhillipThere is a statue to Burke and Wills and we can’t get rid of it
Burke and Wills are a couple of useless explorers who should have known better – did know better – and made terrible mistakes, on purpose. The details of Burkes ineptitude spans several books, and its own theatre show. We can’t get rid of the statue celebrating their efforts because… it’s the first statue of its kind ever made in Australia. So my vote is to erect a plaque in front of the statue explaining that this is in fact a statue celebrating statue making and to ignore the specific embarrassing content of said statue, aside from its excellence in statue-ness.
Burke and Willis statue 'A Sunburnt History: Savages' performs Frankston Anywhere Festival, 27 August – 5 September.
