Heroes, Rebels and Innovators

Heroes, Rebels and Innovators tells seven different stories of prominent, incredible, outstanding First Nations people in Australia’s past.

These tales include the story of Bungaree, the Darug man who circumnavigated Australia with Matthew Flinders, the story of David Unaipon, the Ngarrindjeri inventor and author featured on the Australian $50 note, and several more.

Each story is told in two parts, firstly through a lyrical, powerful narrative of the events leading to the individual’s notoriety, followed by a short informational section clearly detailing the important facts of that particular story.

This collection of First Nations stories is a wonderful, impactful resource for learning about the incredibly significant and ultimately under-represented role Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people played in Australia’s history. The information included is easy to comprehend for younger readers, and ultimately this work aims to encourage readers to further explore First Nations cultures, people, and literacy.

1. The illustrations include partial depictions of Indigenous women with bare breasts (p. 7, 15). 2. References made throughout to racism and colonialism. Tarenorerer was kidnapped and forced into unpaid servitude (p. 14). 3. Mentions throughout of the deaths of historical figures (p. 10, 14, 18, 22, 26, 30).