QSA Talks: Understanding Queensland’s Native Mounted Police

The Native Mounted Police was a paramilitary government force that operated in Queensland from 1849 until the early decades of the twentieth century. During this period this force variously occupied more than 140 camp sites across the state. Adopting a fresh approach informed by the methods and techniques of historical archaeology, Lynley and her team developed a comprehensive relational database that presents all elements of frontier conflict across Queensland. In collating frontier conflict in a single, freely available online resource, the project invites the public to actively engage in truth-telling.

Queensland State Archives is partnering with the Harry Gentle Resource Centre at Griffith University to host a series of talks throughout 2021.

Lynley Wallis is an Associate Professor at Griffith University, as well as working as a cultural heritage consultant currently engaged as the Cultural Heritage Advisor to Gundjeihmi Aboriginal Corporation. She is a past co-editor of the journal Australian Archaeology and is on the Editorial Board of Queensland Archaeological Research. Lynley has longstanding interests in the archaeology of northern Australia, palaeoenvironments, and Aboriginal cultural heritage management, and a commitment to undertaking collaborative research partnerships with communities. For the past five years she has been working on a major project entitled “The Archaeology of the Queensland Native Mounted Police: Aborigines and Europeans on The Queensland Frontier’. She has recently commenced two other major projects, one in western Queensland looking at the experiences of Yulluna and other Aboriginal people on the colonial frontier, and another on the cultural heritage and archaeology of southeast Cape York Peninsula.

[lesleysynge]

I felt the commitment and compassion of many in this comprehensive exercise in Truth telling. There is much for me to explore. A great presentation - thank you.