Consult the history books that have been, and probably still are in use in most schools and you will see references to the guy called Costello. The history books say that he set forth from New South Wales to conquer the lands almost single handedly, facing down the savage natives and returning triumphant to New South Wales. This was based on his own account and based on this the government of the day granted him 25,000 square miles of the land that he had conquered.

Review of other journals that recorded the oral history of the local aboriginal tribe, the Kawiwali, show quite a different picture. He in fact set out with three other white men, all hopelessly ill equipped for the territory that they were entering. Some time into the journey they had reached a stage of desperation whereby they were about to slaughter one of their horses for food. The local Kawiwali supplied them with food and water and advised them to return south. Ignoring this advice they continued on until, once again, they were in need of rescue. Once again the Kawiwali obliged, this time insisting that if they wished to survive they should return south. Yet again they ignored this advice and for a third time found themselves in desperate circumstances. By this time the Kawiwali had had enough of these serial pests and escorted back to NSW.

He seems to have been quite the conquering hero doesn’t he?

Of course, his version, that made it into the text books at the time, suited the objectives of the government of the day. The portrayal of the indigenous occupants as compassionate and having superior skills in survival was at odds with image of them as primitive savages who can only benefit from being stripped of their tribal ways and introduced to western civilisation.

Footnote: Whether this Costello was any relation to our erstwhile Federal Treasurer is a investigation for the future.