Pemulwuy

by Eric Willmot

This is the story of one of Australia's first true heroes Pemulwuy. A proud and feared Aboriginal warrior Pemulwuy leads an uncompromising twelve-year war against British colonial oppression and makes the supreme sacrifice in order to guide his people to safety.  Most histories of Australia start with the First Fleet and the hard times the colonists had with the climate and unruly convicts. Very few mention what really happened or the blood that was spilled in the wars never spoken of.  Pemulwuy a Bidjigal man unites the neighbouring peoples runaway convicts bushrangers and an escaped African known as Black Caesar in a guerilla war that pushes the invading English to the brink. This novel was conceived out of Pemulwuy's legend and the historical events between 1788 and 1802. It is a story that all Australians should know.

Genres: Historical Fiction

384 pages, Paperback

Published November 9, 2021

Reviews

[Janine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book decades ago, when it had first been released in 1988. At the time, it was the first book I had ever read that portrayed the arrival of the First Fleet through indigenous eyes. Even though this book was written in 1988, many of the themes are just as- if not more- pertinent today.

Although the focus of the book is on Pemulwuy, the narrative is told largely from the perspective of Kiraban, an 18 year old man of the Awabakal people from the northern coastal region below Newcastle. He, and the other young men who were undertaking a period of exile as part of their initiation into manhood, see the ships appearing "like small clouds" on the horizon. They meet with the aliens on the shore, where they are accompanied by a Kamergal man who invites Kiraban and his friends to accompany them back to Kamay (Botany Bay). Only Kiraban decides to go.

It is here in Sydney that he meets Bennelong and Bungaree, the two Eora men that we most often associate with the First Fleet story, and Governor Phillip, David Collins and Watkin Tench who are familiar names in the first contact stories. When Kiraban/Awabakal accompanies a small group to Broken Bay he encounters Pemulwuy: a larger than life character. At over six feet tall, his smile can turn to wildness within seconds, and everyone is frightened of him. He speaks English very well - Willmot doesn't explain how he came know English so well- and the soldiers are dependent on his hunting prowess to provide them with meat. When Kiraban/Awabakal's woman Nungee is killed after being taken by two white men, Kiraban throws his lot in with Pemulwuy who has vowed to avenge her death.
The novel is clearly based on the sources generated by First Fleet officers and soldiers, but Willmot has invented some characters, most particularly Kiraban, and it is told as a narrative with dialogue.

For many years the Australian War Memorial has resisted having the Frontier Wars depicted as a war, but Willmot clearly portrays this as a war, complete with tactics and battles. And the emphasis on Truth, highlighted by Victoria's Truth-Telling Commission and the call for Truth as part of the Uluru Statement shows that Truth has been a concern for decades. This book has not dated at all.

For my complete review please visit:
https://residentjudge.com/2026/07/02/...

[Tania Harvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an extraordinary read - told from the perspective of our First Nations Peoples the book explores those early years of invasion, the relationships formed and destroyed, the values, morals and motivators of those living in and around 'Sydney' - this is a raw encounter, and explores themes not often spoken little known written. This is truth telling at its best (and worse), it highlights the strengths and weakness of humanity in all its forms, I particularly enjoyed the insight into First Nations culture and the exploration of their complex society. What an enlightening, sometimes brutal, heartening yet confronting read. Astonishing.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

An intriguing read to think about what the invasion of the First Fleet meant, from the perspective of the First Nations Peoples, and the story of one of their great warriors who took the fight to the British People. Oh how life could have been so much different, if we had sought to co-exist with those who were already here, rather than taking their lands.

[Hannah G]

Audiobook DNF about half way thru. Ch 29 of 58.

[Jennifer Losurdo · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is really wonderful to learn of History through the original peoples of the land. Words like no other and relationships
That form even when cultures are so different.
An inspirational book

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

very interesting, a bit too much fighting etc for me