Two Aboriginal men hanged in Hobart after disputed trial
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Two hundred years ago, colonists in Hobart, Tasmania, executed two Aboriginal men known as Dick and Jack following the death of a stockkeeper.
The men were arrested amid escalating conflict between colonists and Aboriginal people in the 1820s. Historian Naomi Parry Duncan explained that records from the time are unclear about whether Dick and Jack directly committed the killing, but they were part of a group suspected of involvement.
The two men faced trial before an all-white jury of military personnel, and Dr Duncan said they likely did not understand the proceedings because no interpreter was provided. Eyewitnesses described the execution as brutal, noting that Dick, who suffered from a skin condition that impaired his ability to walk, had to be tied to a chair. The event prompted many Aboriginal people to leave Hobart.
On Thursday, the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre organised a commemoration at the site of the hangings, acknowledging the broader history of violence against Aboriginal people during the British colonization of Australia. Nala Mansell of the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre stated the event honored not only Dick and Jack, but also the many other Aboriginal people who died during the invasion.
The Centre also criticised the lack of acknowledgement of Aboriginal history at the site, pointing out that a plaque commemorates the execution of a white woman nearby. Bob Brown, a former Greens leader, called for the land to be returned to Aboriginal ownership, while the Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds supports creating a walking map detailing Aboriginal history in the city.
