The Gulgong Mudgee Rylstone Branch of the National Trust recently held a luncheon in Mudgee to celebrate the bicentennial year of the death of Arthur Phillip, the first Governor of NSW.
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The celebrated speaker was Michael Pembroke, whose definitive biography of Arthur Phillip was published late last year.
Mr Pembroke is a judge of the Supreme Court of NSW, and is a direct descendant on his mother’s side of Nathanial Lucas and Olivia Gascoigne who arrived at Botany Bay with Phillip’s Fleet in January 1788.
Mr Pembroke held a large audience of well over 50 local National Trust members and friends enthralled with his presentation.
Arthur Phillip’s story, as recounted by Mr Pembroke, is one of money and trade, of mercenaries and spying, discovery and exploration: very different from the rather simplistic view many of his listeners could recall from what they learned at school about the first British leader of what became Australia.
“Phillip was a persistent, intelligent and above all humane man, who was perfectly suited to the job of leading the First Fleet he was given to do, at the other side of the globe”, Mr Pembroke said.
“While Governor, he treated the local Aboriginal people with dignity and respect, and more leniently, some of his sailors thought, than he treated them.”
One of the audience was heard to remark at the conclusion of the day that what she learned of Arthur Phillip, as a person, reminded her of our just retired Governor, Dame Marie Bashir.
The local National Trust Branch intends to hold further events such as this in the New Year, which will be advertised as open to any interested people to attend.