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NSW Heroes and Villains

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NSW Heroes and Villains

People in history can be remembered in different ways. Read the short profiles, then use evidence to decide what each person did and why people might describe them as a hero, a villain, or something more complicated.

People from NSW history

Arthur Phillip was the first Governor of New South Wales. In 1788, he led the British fleet that established a colony at Sydney Cove. British settlement brought hardship and dispossession to Aboriginal peoples, whose Country had been cared for over countless generations. Pemulwuy was a Bidjigal man and a resistance leader in the Sydney region. From the 1790s, he resisted British invasion and defended his people and Country. British records often described resistance as criminal, while many Aboriginal people understand it as a defence of land and community. Mary Reibey was transported to New South Wales as a convict in 1792. After gaining her freedom, she became a successful Sydney businesswoman, running shipping and trading enterprises. Caroline Chisholm worked in Australia in the 1840s and 1850s. She helped migrant women and families find work and places to live, and campaigned for safer journeys and better support. Frederick Ward, known as Captain Thunderbolt, was a bushranger active in northern New South Wales in the 1860s and 1870s. He escaped from prison and robbed travellers and businesses. Some stories made bushrangers seem daring, but robbery harmed the people who were targeted.

Investigate the evidence

Use the profiles above. Remember: judging people from the past means considering what they did, who was affected, and whose viewpoint is being heard.

1.What does the profile suggest about the effects of British settlement on Aboriginal peoples? Use one detail from the profile.

2.True or false: Pemulwuy resisted British invasion in the Sydney region.

TrueFalse

3.Match each person to their historical role.

Mary Reibey
Caroline Chisholm
Captain Thunderbolt

Bushranger
Businesswoman
Helped migrant women and families

4.Which statement is best supported by the profile of Mary Reibey?

She became a successful businesswoman after gaining her freedom.
She was the first Governor of NSW.
She led resistance in the Sydney region.
She robbed travellers in northern NSW.

5.Why might Pemulwuy be described as a defender by Aboriginal communities, even though British records could describe him differently? Use one detail from the profile.

6.What challenge facing migrant women and families might Caroline Chisholm’s work have addressed? Use evidence from the profile to explain your thinking.

7.True or false: The profile says Captain Thunderbolt’s robberies harmed the people who were targeted.

TrueFalse

8.A museum display calls Captain Thunderbolt a “daring hero”. Give one reason this label might be incomplete, using evidence from the profile.

9.The profile says British settlement brought dispossession to Aboriginal peoples. What does “dispossession” mean in this context?

Being forced from land or losing control of it
Being given a new business
Travelling safely to a new home
Being appointed Governor

10.Choose one person from the profiles. Explain why some people might call them a hero or villain, and include a piece of evidence that makes the judgement more complicated.