In 1764 Woollarawarre Bennelong was born in Port Jackson,
He was a member of the Eola tribe and grew to be a man of action,
In 1788 the British First Fleet established a settlement there,
The Fleet consisted of 1000 rough and ready convicts who just didn’t care,
About the aborigines or the Natural animals or trees they felled,
Led by Arthur Phillip who regarded the harbour as the best in the world.
Bennelong learned enough English to communicate with the white invaders,
And the Indigenous peoples who were excellent hunters and fierce warriors,
In 1790 Phillip built a hut for him on the site of Bennelong Point.
Because of conflict with the white settlers Bennelong moved away
And died in Kissing Point on the Parramatta River in 1813.
The Sydney Opera House stands on the Bennelong Point,
Bennelong himself is just a note in history books,
As I sat in the Opera auditorium listening o Madama Butterfly,
Which is an Opera about betrayal,
Sadly, we cannot amend history and reconcile the past,
I felt the presence of Bennelong’s ghost, a trapped soul without any release,
A ghost now cursed to haunt his ancestral sacred land, unable to rest in peace.
The Sydney Opera House is a shameful tombstone and a silent steeple,
Built on sacred ground on top of the cold bones of dead indigenous people.
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Author:
David Wakeling (
Offline) - Published: June 17th, 2025 00:01
- Category: Unclassified
- Views: 19
- Users favorite of this poem: Poetic Licence
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Comments5
Dear old Bennelong, life for him was not that long. When I was first made aware of him there was a clothing fame called Benetton.. united colours was their song. Keep 'em coming amigo🙏🏻🕊️
Will do.Thanks for commenting compadre
Most welcome mate 🕊️🙏🏻
Another sad story of the past. So many forgotten or unknown. Disregard for the past leave disrespect for what should be honored but is buried under the dust of the past. Nicely done
I think you are right he should be honoured. Thank you for commenting
I enjoyed the read for the educational aspect not the nature of what and why it was built, I do not know why across the world we still treat indigenous people so bad, there is so much we can learn from them and their cultures and history, interesting write
Yes the ill-treatment is a mystery. Thanks for your insight
You are very welcome
Excellent write David
Excellent comment Tony36
You're welcome
Never knew all that. Thank you.
You are welcome.
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