A groundbreaking new book sheds light on the brutal history of massacres that took place during the violent frontier expansion in Australia’s north. Licence to Kill: Massacre Men of Australia’s North by Dr. Robyn Smith, a lecturer in Colonial History at Charles Darwin University (CDU), offers an in-depth exploration of the individuals behind these atrocities, as well as their benefactors and the horrific events that unfolded.
Dr. Smith’s research, covering massacres from 1824 to the 1980s, unearths the grim reality of these violent episodes, which were often conducted under the administration of the colonies of New South Wales and South Australia. Despite official denials and later claims of ignorance, massacres were a regular occurrence.
When South Australia’s grandiose ambitions crumbled, the administration of the region was handed over to the Federal Government in 1911. However, the shift in governance did little to stem the tide of violence. Under this new regime, massacres continued with little to no repercussions for the perpetrators.
Dr. Smith’s book not only identifies those who carried out the massacres but also exposes their benefactors and enablers. She highlights how colonialism persisted through the granting of high civic honours to many involved in these events, with their names now immortalised as place names across the landscape.
“It may surprise people to learn that police were not the principal perpetrators,” Dr. Smith reveals. “They were certainly involved, but their numbers were too few to cover the vast Territory, and they were vastly under-resourced. These conditions enabled relentless human hunting expeditions in the pursuit of land and profit.”
Licence to Kill is the result of Dr. Smith’s extensive research on colonial frontier massacres, particularly in the Northern Territory. Her work forms part of the University of Newcastle’s Colonial Frontier Massacres mapping team, initially led by the late Professor Lyndall Ryan.
Published by the Historical Society of the Northern Territory Inc, the book will be launched at an event at CDU’s Casuarina campus. The launch will take place at the CDU Gallery on Tuesday, 18 June, at 1pm, providing an opportunity for attendees to delve into this dark chapter of Australian history.
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