Roderick Flanagan
Encyclopedia
Roderick Flanagan was an Australia
n historian, anthropologist, poet
, newspaper proprietor, and journalist. He was born in Elphin, County Roscommon
, Ireland
and died when he was 34 years of age in East London
, after spending 22 years in Australia
. However, in that short span he made a major contribution to the understanding of Indigenous Australians
, established a newspaper in Melbourne
, Australia
, wrote many poems and prose about his adopted land, and wrote a major history of New South Wales
which into the beginning of the 20th century was considered to be the main reference work on the early European presence in Australia.
on 1 April 1828 to Patrick Flanagan (hatter and woolsorter) and Martha Dufficy (daughter of Henry Dufficy - farmer), he and his family emigrated to Australia aboard the emigrant ship Crusader on 15 January 1840 to escape the overpopulation and famine which was raging throughout Ireland.
He arrived in Australia with his family on 10 October 1840, although two young sons died on the journey. He was educated at the famous Ryder School in Sydney for three years and then was apprenticed to a printer. Shortly after this he commenced work at Sir Henry Parkes newspaper The People's Advocate and New South Wales Vindicator
. He left in 1849 to work for the Daily News in Melbourne
.
in Victoria
in 1851, his readership seemed more interested in the yellow metal, than his newspaper and it closed after six months operation.
He joined another Sir Henry Parkes paper, The Empire as a journalist. Parkes soon entered Parliament and was too busy to run his paper so he appointed Flanagan as Chief of Reporting Staff. Flanagan's poetry was published in The Empire and survives as it was collected by his brother Edward in 1887 and published as "Australian and Other Poems" in 1887.
In 1852, John Dunmore Lang
, the founder of Presbyterianism
in Australia published a history of New South Wales
entitled "An Historical and Statistical Account of New South Wales." Flanagan thought it was a poor history which was ridden with prejudice, so he spent the next eight years writing his own book.
It was eventually published in 1862 by Sampson Law & Son in London. It was entitled:
The History of New South Wales with an Account of Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania), New Zealand, Port Phillip (Victoria), Moreton Bay and other Australian Settlements. Comprising a Complete View of the Progress and Prospects of Gold Mining in Australia. The Whole Compiled from Official and Other Authentic and Original Sources.
The book was considered the standard text on Australia for many years and received considerable praise from the Sydney Morning Herald and the Empire.
Flanagan died before he saw his major work published as he contracted tuberculosis
and died in cheap lodgings in London on 13 March 1862, while awaiting to see his book printed.
His brother, Edward, worked hard to keep Flanagan's legacy alive. In 1888 to commemorate one hundred years of settlement, Edward published, Flanagan's essays (that had been published in "The Empire") on the Australian Aborigines, in a slim book called The Aborigines of Australia. This book is remarkable for its sympathetic portrayal of Aborigines at a time when white Australians saw them simply as 'savages' who would die out.
In 1988, to commemorate the bicentennial of European settlement of Australia, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Committee of the Queensland
Bicentennial Council reprinted "Aborigines in Australia", claiming that reprinting "enables the earliest unbiased account of the Australian Aborigines to be re-introduced to the people of modern Australia."
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n historian, anthropologist, poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, newspaper proprietor, and journalist. He was born in Elphin, County Roscommon
Elphin, County Roscommon
Elphin, sometimes spelt Elfin , is a village in north County Roscommon, Ireland. It forms the southern tip of a triangle with Boyle and Carrick-on-Shannon to the north west and north east respectively. It is at the junction of the R368 and R369 regional roads...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and died when he was 34 years of age in East London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, after spending 22 years in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. However, in that short span he made a major contribution to the understanding of Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
, established a newspaper in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, wrote many poems and prose about his adopted land, and wrote a major history of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
which into the beginning of the 20th century was considered to be the main reference work on the early European presence in Australia.
Early life
Born in IrelandIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
on 1 April 1828 to Patrick Flanagan (hatter and woolsorter) and Martha Dufficy (daughter of Henry Dufficy - farmer), he and his family emigrated to Australia aboard the emigrant ship Crusader on 15 January 1840 to escape the overpopulation and famine which was raging throughout Ireland.
He arrived in Australia with his family on 10 October 1840, although two young sons died on the journey. He was educated at the famous Ryder School in Sydney for three years and then was apprenticed to a printer. Shortly after this he commenced work at Sir Henry Parkes newspaper The People's Advocate and New South Wales Vindicator
The People's Advocate and New South Wales Vindicator
The People's Advocate and New South Wales Vindicator was a Sydney newspaper published between December 1848 and 1856.The People's Advocate was established by Edward John Hawksley, an English Catholic Radical, who wrote the majority of the paper's content, and by the Sydney printer Francis...
. He left in 1849 to work for the Daily News in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
.
From journalist to historian
In 1850 Flanagan teamed up with his younger brother to establish their own Melbourne newspaper, The Weekly Chronicle. However, with the discovery of goldGold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
in Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
in 1851, his readership seemed more interested in the yellow metal, than his newspaper and it closed after six months operation.
He joined another Sir Henry Parkes paper, The Empire as a journalist. Parkes soon entered Parliament and was too busy to run his paper so he appointed Flanagan as Chief of Reporting Staff. Flanagan's poetry was published in The Empire and survives as it was collected by his brother Edward in 1887 and published as "Australian and Other Poems" in 1887.
In 1852, John Dunmore Lang
John Dunmore Lang
John Dunmore Lang , Australian Presbyterian clergyman, writer, politician and activist, was the first prominent advocate of an independent Australian nation and of Australian republicanism.-Background and Family:...
, the founder of Presbyterianism
Presbyterianism
Presbyterianism refers to a number of Christian churches adhering to the Calvinist theological tradition within Protestantism, which are organized according to a characteristic Presbyterian polity. Presbyterian theology typically emphasizes the sovereignty of God, the authority of the Scriptures,...
in Australia published a history of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
entitled "An Historical and Statistical Account of New South Wales." Flanagan thought it was a poor history which was ridden with prejudice, so he spent the next eight years writing his own book.
It was eventually published in 1862 by Sampson Law & Son in London. It was entitled:
The History of New South Wales with an Account of Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania), New Zealand, Port Phillip (Victoria), Moreton Bay and other Australian Settlements. Comprising a Complete View of the Progress and Prospects of Gold Mining in Australia. The Whole Compiled from Official and Other Authentic and Original Sources.
The book was considered the standard text on Australia for many years and received considerable praise from the Sydney Morning Herald and the Empire.
Flanagan died before he saw his major work published as he contracted tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
and died in cheap lodgings in London on 13 March 1862, while awaiting to see his book printed.
His brother, Edward, worked hard to keep Flanagan's legacy alive. In 1888 to commemorate one hundred years of settlement, Edward published, Flanagan's essays (that had been published in "The Empire") on the Australian Aborigines, in a slim book called The Aborigines of Australia. This book is remarkable for its sympathetic portrayal of Aborigines at a time when white Australians saw them simply as 'savages' who would die out.
In 1988, to commemorate the bicentennial of European settlement of Australia, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Committee of the Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
Bicentennial Council reprinted "Aborigines in Australia", claiming that reprinting "enables the earliest unbiased account of the Australian Aborigines to be re-introduced to the people of modern Australia."