Abstract: A descendent of the O’Brien family, closely related to those who suffered tragic irretrievable loss at the hands of Jimmy Governor when he murdered a pregnant women and her toddler child in 1900, recounts her family’s journey of reconciliation. The sight of the “posts in a paddock”, the remains of the original homestead in which the deaths occurred and the only disappearing reminder of this tragedy on what is still the family farm near Wollar, north-east of Mudgee NSW, moved the author to explore the stories from her family and also from the Governor family. This realization took her on a journey to gather up, and introduce to each other, members of both families and to workshop their stories as a means of seeking a resolution to the tragedy. This journey eventually came to include descendants of Jimmy and Ethel Governor and led to reconciliation through participation in the development and performance of a play. The final outcome is a theatre piece marked by interracial collaboration and establishing common ground through intercultural dialogue, understanding and an overriding shared wish for reconciliation.
Keywords: Aboriginal, theatre, reconciliation, Jimmy Governor
Copyright © Clare Britton 2013. This text may be archived and redistributed both in electronic form and in hard copy, provided that the author and journal are properly cited and no fee is charged.