The town of Bathurst will soon mark the 200th anniversary of New South Wales Governor Sir Thomas Brisbane declaring martial law in the region.
Dhuluny, a Wiradyuri term for "truth, rectitude, that which is direct, straight, living, or gospel," is a series of important events in the town, remembering the settler violence enacted on the Wiradyuri people by colonists, commemorating a period of resistance, violence, and massacres, and celebrating Wiradyuri resilience and survival.
The declaration of Martial Law "in all the country westward of Mount York" by Governor Brisbane on 14 August 1824 followed two years of gudyarra (war) between Wiradyuri and colonists and their convict slaves in the Bathurst region.
This in turn spiralled into what Wiradyuri people call the "Wiradyuri homeland wars", or the Frontier Wars, and Commandant Major James Morisset was given permission to deploy several detachments of soldiers against the Wiradyuri warriors.
In December, Wiinymaldhaany (Wiindhuraydhine, Windradyne, Fire-maker), travelled to see Governor Brisbane in Parramatta to sue for peace.
Dr Stephen Gapps, author of Gudyarra – The First Wiradyuri War of Resistance, said it was the first time martial law had been enacted against Aboriginal people in New South Wales.
On Sunday, events began with a Welcome and opening ceremony of Dhuluny at the Bathurst War Memorial by the Bathurst Wiradyuri Elders before moving to the Wambuul (Macquarie River) Ceremonial Ground.
An Elders Celebration was held at the Dhuluny: the war that never ended exhibition at the Bathurst Regional Art Gallery before the evening saw a screening of The First Australians: they have come to stay (episode 1).
Part of the week will include the Dhuluny Conference on August 15 and 16 at Charles Sturt University, which will see Dinawan Dyirribang Uncle Bill Allen, Wirribee Aunty Leanna Carr-Smith, Yanhadarrambal Uncle Jade Flynn, Lynda-June Coe, and Marcia Langton AO all deliver keynote speeches.
Director of the Charles Sturt Centre for Law and Justice, Professor Mark Nolan, said Charles Sturt University "welcomes the opportunity to support the Dhuluny Conference and the week's events to reflect on the significance of this bicentenary for relationships between non-Indigenous Australians and Wiradyuri and First Nations peoples".
"The historic events of two centuries ago are still playing out in the national and local landscape and it is appropriate that we take this opportunity to commit to engagement in the spirit of yindyamarra winhanganha to make a world worth living in," he said.
Other events throughout the week include workshops, more films at the Ponton Theatre at Charles Sturt University, as well as the launch at Bathurst Library on Tuesday August 13 by award-winning Wiradyuri author Anita Heiss of Dirrayawadha: Rise Up, her historical novel about resistance, resilience, and love during the Frontier Wars.
Full details of the historic week can be found on the Dhuluny Events program or on the Wiradyuri Traditional Owners Central West Aboriginal Corporation Facebook page.
Information on the Free Dhuluny Conference can be found online.
