Rule of Law Education Centre

Justice at Myall Creek

Justice at Myall Creek

The Rule of Law Education Centre will create an illustrated storybook, ‘Justice at Myall Creek’ to share the story of the Myall Creek Massacre throughout schools and libraries across Australia. On 10 June 1838, 12 armed and mounted stockmen, led by John Henry Fleming rode onto Myall Creek Station in North-East New South Wales and ...

GOAL

$13,000

Australia > NSW > Metro
02/01/2025 > 30/06/2025

Field of Interest

  • Civic engagement and leadership
  • Education/training and employment

Target Population

  • Young people (6-25)
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
Rule of Law Education Centre Rule of Law Education Centre

The Rule of Law Education Centre (ROLE) is the only independent and non-political organisation in Australia educating students and the community about the importance of our laws and democracy derived from the Magna Carta, and important checks and balances we have for those in power.

We believe that an understanding of the rule of law, human rights and democracy does not happen by osmosis. It must be taught clearly and explicitly in school and universities, with case studies and examples to bring these principles to life. We focus on teaching students to not only understand and obey laws, but to constructively engage with the law and government and to know how to challenge them as needed by using appropriate mechanisms and institutions.

Rule of Law Education Centre Focus Areas:
Explicit Teaching - On government democracy, history and the rule of law with comparisons of other systems
Exploration of Ideas - Apply knowledge to discuss current, local, national and international issues using rule of law principles
Situational and Experimental Learning - Engage in meaningful opportunities that are explicitly linked to formal curriculum, such as court excursions
Extracurricular Activities - Students enable to get involved in their school or local community show higher civic participation over time
Participation in School Governance - Giving students agency in classroom and school community management imparts civic decision making skills
Democratic Simulations and Co-curricular Activities - Student participation in simulations such as mock trials, voting, diplomacy and deliberations prepare students with skills for active participation

Project Summary

The Rule of Law Education Centre will create an illustrated storybook, ‘Justice at Myall Creek’ to share the story of the Myall Creek Massacre throughout schools and libraries across Australia.

On 10 June 1838, 12 armed and mounted stockmen, led by John Henry Fleming rode onto Myall Creek Station in North-East New South Wales and brutally massacred about 28 Aboriginal people, from the Wirrayaraay people in an unprovoked, premeditated attack. In the aftermath, NSW Attorney-General John Plunkett prosecuted the white stockmen with vigour, bringing seven of these perpetrators to justice at their second trial in November 1838.

The Myall Creek Massacre was just one horrific example of brutality inflicted against the Aboriginal people during the Frontier Wars. But it was also the first time in the history of colonial NSW that ‘white’ perpetrators were successfully brought to justice and executed for the mass murder of Aboriginal people. It was the first (and only) instance where the colonial administration intervened to ensure the laws were being applied equally to Aboriginal people and settlers alike involved in frontier violence.

Our story will focus on human rights and the struggle for justice. Not only will it tell the story of the brutal massacre, but it will also emphasise the brave historical figures, especially the NSW Attorney-General, who fought for justice and equality for the Indigenous Community, despite facing widespread disapproval from white colonial society. It will show how the NSW Supreme Court trials that followed the Myall Creek massacre set an essential judicial precedent, granting us the rights and freedoms we continue to enjoy today.

Project Outcomes

Our project, ‘Justice at Myall Creek,’ aims to enhance educators’ and students’ historical knowledge and understanding of this pivotal moment in NSW’s history. Currently, there is significant community misunderstanding about the Myall Creek Massacre and its long-term implications for rural and broader Australia. Our project will illuminate how this tragedy enabled Aboriginal people to gain access to justice, previously denied, and how it required courageous individuals to resist social and political pressures from their colonial society to stand-up and protect the rights of Aboriginal people.

Beyond our storybook, we intend to actively engage with the community through visits to the Myall Creek massacre site and interactions with the local community in the Narrabri region, including local primary schools and libraries. Finally, this project strives to benefit the Australian community, by enhancing public confidence in the capacity of the judiciary and the legal system to provide protections according to the law.

Budget Breakdown

TOTAL BUDGET: $29,450
FUNDING
Funding source Amount
Cash: Cultural Grant - Royal Australian Historical Society (unconfirmed) $5,000
Rule of Law Education Centre (confirmed) $11,000
In kind: Volunteer Time (unconfirmed) $450
Funding Gap (unconfirmed) $13,000
EXPENSES
Expense item Amount
Script for Narrative $10,000
Historian to review content $1,000
Internal Editing $450
Illustrator $3,000
Designer $4,000
Distributions $1,000
Book launch at Myall Creek Commemoration Site $5,000
Accompanying education resources $5,000

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Level 6, 126 Wellington Parade, East Melbourne VIC 3002

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first inhabitants and Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we live, learn and work. We pay our respects to Elders past and present.

Australian Communities Foundation is a proudly inclusive organisation and an ally of LGBTQIA+ communities and the movement toward equality.