Join us for a premiere film screening, book launch, digital map debut and panel discussion about a surprising and forgotten aspect of Australian history – the enthralling history of the rescues of thousands of colonists by Aboriginal people from life-threatening situations such as bush fires, floods, shipwrecks and being lost in the bush.

Award-winning author Associate Professor (Dr) Fred Cahir discusses his latest book They Rescued Us! Aboriginal Heroes on Country with filmmakers Lucinda Horrocks and Jary Nemo of Wind & Sky Productions, whose new film Acts of Heroism will be screened on the day.

This short film is a companion to a web-based education portal Aboriginal Heroes of Fire, Food and Flood which spatially maps locations and documented instances of Aboriginal heroism to do with fire, flood and food in Victoria and Southeastern Australia from the 1800s to the 1930s.

Professor Andrew Gunstone, the inaugural Associate Deputy Vice-Chancellor Reconciliation at Federation University will contribute to the discussion which will be moderated by Lucy Bracey from Way Back When, a group of professional historians who work with communities to tell their stories. The afternoon will include a performance by First Nations composer and singer Deb Lowah Clark.

This event complements the Gallery exhibition Beating About The Bush in its critical questioning of the stories Australians have been told about the bush and who it is that Australians regard as pioneers and heroes. Copies of the book will be available for purchase and signing at the launch.

They Rescued Us! Aboriginal Heroes on Country is published by Ballarat Heritage Services. Acts of Heroism was funded by the Telematics Trust and is a collaboration between Federation University historians, the Centre for eResearch and Digital Innovation (CeRDI) at Federation University and Wind & Sky Productions. The film was produced in Ballarat, in regional Victoria, on Wadawurrung Country.

Age: All ages

Tickets: Free entry but bookings are essential as numbers are strictly limited