Henry Reynolds (historian) facts for kids

Henry Reynolds (born in 1938) is a famous Australian historian. He is known for his work on the conflicts between European settlers and Indigenous Australians. He was one of the first historians to support Indigenous land rights. His first important book, The Other Side of the Frontier, was published in 1981.

Early Life and Education

Henry Reynolds was born in Hobart, Tasmania, in 1938. His father, John Reynolds, was a journalist. John wrote the first biography of Edmund Barton, who was Australia's first Prime Minister.

Henry went to Hobart High School. Later, he studied at the University of Tasmania. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with Honours in History in 1960. He then completed his Master of Arts degree in 1964.

Henry Reynolds' Career as a Historian

Before becoming a university professor, Henry Reynolds taught in high schools. He taught in both Australia and England.

In 1966, he joined the staff at Townsville University College. This university later became James Cook University. In the 1970s, he started an oral history project. This meant he collected stories and memories from people by talking to them. He became an associate professor of history and politics in 1982. He retired from this role in 1998.

In 2000, Reynolds became a special professor at the University of Tasmania. He worked in Launceston. As of September 2022, he is an Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Tasmania. This means he is a retired professor who keeps his title because of his important work.

Researching Australia's Past

Henry Reynolds' book, The Other Side of the Frontier, came out in 1981. It was very important because it was one of the first history books to tell Australia's story from an Aboriginal point of view.

In his many books and articles, Reynolds has shown how much conflict and violence happened during the colonisation of Australia. He wrote about the strong resistance from Aboriginal people. He also wrote about the many massacres of Indigenous people. Reynolds and other historians believe that about 3,000 Europeans and at least 20,000 Aboriginal people died directly in these frontier conflicts. Many more Aboriginal people died from new European diseases or starvation. This happened because they were forced off their traditional lands.

Some historians, like Geoffrey Blainey and Keith Windschuttle, have different views. They call Reynolds' approach a "black armband view of Australian history". This term suggests it focuses too much on the negative parts of history. In 2002, Keith Windschuttle wrote a book that questioned if widespread genocide happened against Indigenous Australians. He also accused Reynolds of misrepresenting facts. However, other historians argued that Windschuttle's own work had problems.

Friendship with Eddie Mabo and Land Rights

Henry Reynolds became friends with Eddie Mabo. Eddie Mabo worked as a gardener at James Cook University. In his book Why Weren't We Told?, Reynolds shares their talks. They often discussed Eddie Mabo's people's rights to their lands on Murray Island in the Torres Strait.

Reynolds wrote about how much Eddie loved his land. He said Eddie believed his family would always own it. Reynolds then explained to Eddie that, legally, no one actually owned land on Murray Island. He told Eddie it was all considered "Crown land" by the government.

Eddie was shocked. He could not understand how "whitefellas" could question his family's ownership of their land.

Reynolds then researched Indigenous land ownership in international law. He encouraged Eddie Mabo to take his case to court. This conversation, over sandwiches and tea, was the first step. It led to the famous Mabo judgement in June 1992. This court decision changed Australian law. It recognized that Indigenous people had rights to their traditional lands. Reynolds did not work directly on the court case after that. But he and Eddie Mabo remained friends until Eddie's death in 1992. Reynolds' oral history project from the 1970s also helped the High Court recognize land rights.

Other Activities and Public Discussions

In September 2022, Henry Reynolds spoke at the National Press Club of Australia. He appeared with filmmaker Rachel Perkins. This was after Rachel Perkins' TV series, The Australian Wars, was shown on SBS Television.

Awards and Special Honours

Henry Reynolds has received many awards and honours for his important work:

• 1982: Ernest Scott Historical Prize for The Other Side of the Frontier
• 1988: Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Arts Award for The Law of the Land
• 1996: Australian Book Council Award: the Banjo Award for non-fiction
• 1998: Doctor of Letters (honoris causa) from the University of Tasmania
• 1999: Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia (FASSA)
• 1999: Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities (FAHA)
• 2000: Queensland Premier's Literary Award for Why Weren't We Told?
• 2000: Australian Humanist of the Year Award
• 2008: With Professor Marilyn Lake, Queensland Premier's History Book Award for Drawing the Global Colour Line
• 2009: With Marilyn Lake, the non-fiction category of the Prime Minister's Literary Awards for Drawing the Global Colour Line
• 2012: Honorary Doctor of Letters from James Cook University

Conference in His Honour

In 2008, a special conference was held to celebrate Henry Reynolds' 70th birthday. It was called Race, Nation, History: A Conference in Honour of Henry Reynolds. Many universities and organizations supported it. Larissa Behrendt, a well-known academic, was one of the speakers.

Family Life

In December 1963, Henry Reynolds married Margaret Reynolds. Margaret later became an ALP senator for Queensland. She served in Federal Parliament from 1983 to 1999. Their daughter, Anna Reynolds, is currently the Lord Mayor of Hobart.

Key Books by Henry Reynolds

• The Other Side of the Frontier : Aboriginal Resistance to the European Invasion of Australia (1981)
• Frontier; Aborigines, Settlers and Land (1987)
• Dispossession; Black Australia and White Invaders (1989)
• Why Weren't We Told? (2000)
• An Indelible Stain? The Question of Genocide in Australia's History (2001)
• The Law Of The Land (2003)
• Drawing the Global Colour Line: White Men's Countries and the International Challenge of Racial Equality (2008) (with Marilyn Lake)
• Forgotten War (2013)
• Truth Telling: History, sovereignty and the Uluru Statement (2021)
• Tongerlongeter: First Nations Leader & Tasmanian War Hero. (2021) (with Nicholas Clements)