Note that we have no First Australian antecedents or relatives, as far as we know, and can be seen to be biased in a couple of ways. It's more than possible we don't properly understand, for example, First Australian understandings or impacts. If so, please contact us and explain. You have nothing but our word, of course, for whatever that may be worth, but we want to better understand.
Further in this regard, we do not and cannot speak for First Australians. They very capably speak for themselves, and while we may agree with them, they do not need our support or spruiking to make their points. However, just as we hope you will pay attention to us, we hope you will also do the courtesy of paying attention to them and considering their opinions. As the character Atticus Finch states in the US novel (and film, where he is played by the great Gregory Peck - although we can't quite recall whether the film script gives him this simile as well as the other more famous one from the book regarding shoes), sometimes we need to walk for a while in another person's skin to better understand them.
For the time being at least, we're going to discuss Macquarie's less inhumane characteristics, including several interesting and a couple of quite disgraceful occurrences in his life. But always just to one side we ask you to remember his darker sins, and we will come back to them in due course.
Virtually no-one in Scotland has ever heard of a man many Australians have described over the years as the "Father of Australia", a rather meaningless title actually shared by several men (and, yes, there are "mothers" as well, but we're not writing about any of them at the moment).
Nor have most people in Australia ever heard that this man so many of us regard as great had a series of very human faults, as, indeed, it's worth remembering all great people have, at least to some degree. It's just that Macquarie had them to a very interesting degree, and at least one of us can't help sharing them with you (isn't that right, Lex!).
(Yep, that's right. I just love a good gossip about a hero. But, in at least Macquarie's case, we must not allow his all-too-human frailties (note, we're excluding some of his extreme mistakes regarding First Australians from these frailties, they are of quite a different and far from amusing matter that we will attempt to discuss later) stand in the way of the fact it also included the characteristics of a great man. We can be surprised by it, perhaps even laugh about it, but not allow it to shade his great work and his great intent. And, of course, we should not ignore it, as all-too-many Australian historians have done over the years, because it's an important part of what made the man. How can you understand him and what he did and why he did it if you don't know and analyse these aspects of his life?)
Okay, that's Lex's excuse. So, this is just supposed to be a canned biography of Macquarie, not a 15 book edition of the minutiae of his life - although Lex's idea of can size is probably somewhat greater than yours!). There are endless sources of stuff on his importance to Australia, but a wonderfully short and pithy account of his other realities can be found in the David Hunt's fantastic book Girt: The Unauthorised History of Australia, which should make almost every published Australian historian, and biographers of many characters from our history, ashamed of their failure to fully include or analyse aspects of our history and our heroes' lives.
Lachlan Macquarie, 1805, by John Opie, Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales. Handsome devil ain't he. Not all his portraits are so handsome, I'm afraid. That bloke down below, for example. So what's the truth? Well, get us a time machine and we'll tell you. But it might be worth noting this is the only portrait of Macquarie done by a well known (in England) skilled portraitist, whom I suspect very strongly of being skilled at painting people in a way the people would like to look, rather than how they actually looked!
Lachlan Macquarie, Richard Read Snr 1822, Mitchell Library. We know he's a bit older, and got the pox, but is this really the same bloke? We hope Macquarie didn't pay for this, because he was clearly dudded.
From a miniature, possibly around 1818-1819, by an unknown artist, Mitchell Library New South Wales. It seems possible, if not probable, this artist may have had some access to the above Opie portrait.
Lachlan Macquarie (although this has not been confirmed), Unknown artist (although it's attributed to Colvin Smith), Unknown date (allegedly the 1820s - if so it must most likely have been 1820 or 1821, just prior to Macquarie's return to Britain and shortly subsequent death). Windsor Courthouse, New South Wales, where one hopes they have more facts in support of their verdicts! The State Library of Victoria has a copy, but notes that the Windsor portrait is probably not of Macquarie, but by 1858 it was said to be so.
Most Aussies descended soley from post-1788 immigrants know Lachlan Macquarie as the Governor of the colony of New South Wales from 1811-1821 who tried to provide a basis for the active citizenship of the colony by former convicts, and who is sometimes styled the "father" of modern Australia. Well, those of us who remember any of our Australian history remember him as such. Of course, as many of us are immigrants and have never studied Australian history ... Enough already, just accept that that's what Lex was taught. Okay? Good.
Or, not good, in fact, because like all people whom we tag as "heroes" or major figures in our history for one reason or another, Macquarie was human, and had his faults. And the fact is, First Australians have good reason to have an alternative view of the man which has for far too long been ignored. And, more, for far too long has been one of many elements of Australia's history, both pre-1788 and post-1788, that has remained ignored, unacknowledged, unknown, and untaught.
This and the following pages on Macquarie will try and present a more full, three dimensional view of the man. We are neither trying to destroy Macquarie's reputation, nor to gloss over his realities. Nor are we looking for excuses for Macquarie's decisions and behaviour. But, as historians, we are attempting to interpret what we know, what we have more recently learned, identify and consider some aspects of Macquarie's life that have recently been highlighted, and provide the results for your consideration.
The fact is, Macquarie's history is in some ways more complex than we've been taught. In fact, this is similar to most people we've been taught to either heroise or villainise. There are several elements of Macquarie's life that many might, probably rightly, regard as negative, but which can be explained with reference to his background and origins, and out of which he can, if we're not careful, almost come out of heroically.
There is then the period in New South Wales in which he undoubtedly undertook a number of positive decisions, as well as displaying some less positive characteristics. And at several points there are the times one can feel great sympathy for the way he was being treated, and for the way he ended up.
But then, also, are a couple of areas of decision-making while in New South Wales in relation to First Australians that reflect exceptionally negatively on him. One of these can be explained as being in accordance with thinking of the time, and another by probably rightly crediting him with the belief he was "doing the right thing" by helping the First Australians learn to live as members of the growing, civilising British-based society of white settlement.
We have to admit we believe we've not so far achieved the goal of a full understanding of Macquarie the man. Current belief in the history field is we should not place our own ethical and moral structures and understandings over people of the past. We strongly believe, however, that we should also not ignore the knowledge of the times and the views of those who expressed alternative views to those commonly held, or to call out self-serving elements of the commonly held views.
Ultimately, however, as the study of history is a search for truth, and one person's truth can be another's fiction, we can only present you with what we know and our analysis of that. Then, we have to leave you to make up your own minds.
In this context, it is not our intention to either make excuses for or condemnations of Macquarie that you must adopt as truth. Where we express our opinions, they are just that. Our opinions. You can accept, vary, or reject them as you see fit. However, if you wish to argue them with us make sure you have facts to support your arguments, or more developed and interesting analyses. Otherwise, your opinions are as dust on a gentle breeze - inconsequential.
At this distance in time, explanations based on an analyis of the available material can be nothing but guesswork. If anyone feels we have stepped over the mark from explanation to excuse, please contact us and explain your point of view. If we believe it's necessary we will make alterations to our material, and if you agree we will credit you for your advice.
Note that we have no First Australian antecedents or relatives, as far as we know, and can be seen to be biased in a couple of ways. It's more than possible we don't properly understand, for example, First Australian understandings or impacts. If so, please contact us and explain. You have nothing but our word, of course, for whatever that may be worth, but we want to better understand.
Further in this regard, we do not and cannot speak for First Australians. They very capably speak for themselves, and while we may agree with them, they do not need our support or spruiking to make their points. However, just as we hope you will pay attention to us, we hope you will also do the courtesy of paying attention to them and considering their opinions. As the character Atticus Finch states in the US novel (and film, where he is played by the great Gregory Peck - although we can't quite recall whether the film script gives him this simile as well as the other more famous one from the book regarding shoes), sometimes we need to walk for a while in another person's skin to better understand them.
For the time being at least, we're going to discuss Macquarie's less inhumane characteristics, including several interesting and a couple of quite disgraceful occurrences in his life. But always just to one side we ask you to remember his darker sins, and we will come back to them in due course.
Virtually no-one in Scotland has ever heard of a man many Australians have described over the years as the "Father of Australia", a rather meaningless title actually shared by several men (and, yes, there are "mothers" as well, but we're not writing about any of them at the moment).
Nor have most people in Australia ever heard that this man so many of us regard as great had a series of very human faults, as, indeed, it's worth remembering all great people have, at least to some degree. It's just that Macquarie had them to a very interesting degree, and at least one of us can't help sharing them with you (isn't that right, Lex!).
(Yep, that's right. I just love a good gossip about a hero. But, in at least Macquarie's case, we must not allow his all-too-human frailties (note, we're excluding some of his extreme mistakes regarding First Australians from these frailties, they are of quite a different and far from amusing matter that we will attempt to discuss later) stand in the way of the fact it also included the characteristics of a great man. We can be surprised by it, perhaps even laugh about it, but not allow it to shade his great work and his great intent. And, of course, we should not ignore it, as all-too-many Australian historians have done over the years, because it's an important part of what made the man. How can you understand him and what he did and why he did it if you don't know and analyse these aspects of his life?)
Okay, that's Lex's excuse. So, this is just supposed to be a canned biography of Macquarie, not a 15 book edition of the minutiae of his life - although Lex's idea of can size is probably somewhat greater than yours!). There are endless sources of stuff on his importance to Australia, but a wonderfully short and pithy account of his other realities can be found in the David Hunt's fantastic book Girt: The Unauthorised History of Australia, which should make almost every published Australian historian, and biographers of many characters from our history, ashamed of their failure to fully include or analyse aspects of our history and our heroes' lives.