image of person or book cover 7003617693355033933.jpg
This image has been sourced from Dymocks
y separately published work icon O'Leary of the Underworld single work   biography  
Issue Details: First known date: 2023... 2023 O'Leary of the Underworld
The material on this page is available to AustLit subscribers. If you are a subscriber or are from a subscribing organisation, please log in to gain full access. To explore options for subscribing to this unique teaching, research, and publishing resource for Australian culture and storytelling, please contact us or find out more.

AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'In June 1926, a posse of police officers and white civilians murdered at least twenty Oombulgurri people at Forrest River in the Kimberley. After the massacre, a conspiracy of silence descended. Witnesses vanished. Charges against two of the officers were dropped for insufficient evidence.

'One of the massacre's perpetrators was Bernard O'Leary, a former soldier whose land holding was known as 'the underworld'. At the 1927 Royal Commission into the killings, O'Leary was portrayed by his lawyer as a simple honest backwoodsman who was framed. In this powerful account, Kate Auty argues that O'Leary was in fact 'vicious, brazen and a bullshitter', with 'a propensity for brutality'. Although never charged, he played a leading role in the murders, and his duplicitous testimony thwarted the commission's work. In electric prose, Auty depicts O'Leary as a merciless killer, while the apparatus that concealed his crimes is portrayed with great realism and clarity. Driven by both forensic and moral judgement, the book exposes the injustices embedded in Australian settlement history, and the culture of denial that has prevented truth-telling in this country.' (Publication summary)

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

Other Formats

Works about this Work

O'Leary of the Underworld: The Untold Story of the Forrest River Massacre. By Kate Auty Ray Kerkhove , 2023 single work review
— Appears in: The Australian Journal of Politics and History , September vol. 69 no. 3 2023; (p. 572-573)

— Review of O'Leary of the Underworld Kate Auty , 2023 single work biography

'Kate Auty's O'Leary of the Underworld expands historical work begun by Neville Green's The Forrest River Massacres (1995), but through the eagle eyes of legal analysis, a perspective for which Auty is well-known. Auty's aim is to profile the dishonesty and murderous actions of Bernard O'Leary, one of the main perpetrators of the Forrest River massacres in the Kimberley region. She brings together various contexts, personalities, and events that culminated in the case and trial. The killings that preceded the Forrest River massacre are also detailed (pp. 22–29). Auty's work is uncommon in targeting a specific individual, providing detailed backstories. She retrospectively charges O'Leary of crimes for which he was absolved. The book is illustrated with unique and well-sourced maps, photographs, and sketches that help the reader visualise events.'(Introduction)          

y separately published work icon Kate Auty in Conversation Nico Callaghan (interviewer), 2023 26203229 2023 single work podcast interview

'A recording of the launch for Kate Auty’s book, O’Leary Of The Underworld: The Untold Story of the Forest River Massacre. This book is a powerful investigation that reveals the deep injustices inflicted on Aboriginal people in the Kimberley in the 1920s.

'Please note, this episode contains discussion topics and readings from Auty’s work that some listeners may find distressing.' (Introduction)

Kate Auty O’Leary of the Underworld : The Untold Story of the Forrest River Massacre Celeste Liddle , 2023 single work review
— Appears in: The Saturday Paper , 18-24 February 2023;

— Review of O'Leary of the Underworld Kate Auty , 2023 single work biography

'With the coming referendum on the Indigenous Voice to Parliament, the concept of “truth-telling” is currently getting more airtime than ever. For decades, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have been calling on Australia to front up to the truth of the past so we can deal with the present and move towards a more positive and collaborative future. Until this truth has been confronted, the racist lies this country was built upon will continue to fester, erupting in more acts of violence and erasure.'  (Introduction)

Kate Auty O’Leary of the Underworld : The Untold Story of the Forrest River Massacre Celeste Liddle , 2023 single work review
— Appears in: The Saturday Paper , 18-24 February 2023;

— Review of O'Leary of the Underworld Kate Auty , 2023 single work biography

'With the coming referendum on the Indigenous Voice to Parliament, the concept of “truth-telling” is currently getting more airtime than ever. For decades, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have been calling on Australia to front up to the truth of the past so we can deal with the present and move towards a more positive and collaborative future. Until this truth has been confronted, the racist lies this country was built upon will continue to fester, erupting in more acts of violence and erasure.'  (Introduction)

O'Leary of the Underworld: The Untold Story of the Forrest River Massacre. By Kate Auty Ray Kerkhove , 2023 single work review
— Appears in: The Australian Journal of Politics and History , September vol. 69 no. 3 2023; (p. 572-573)

— Review of O'Leary of the Underworld Kate Auty , 2023 single work biography

'Kate Auty's O'Leary of the Underworld expands historical work begun by Neville Green's The Forrest River Massacres (1995), but through the eagle eyes of legal analysis, a perspective for which Auty is well-known. Auty's aim is to profile the dishonesty and murderous actions of Bernard O'Leary, one of the main perpetrators of the Forrest River massacres in the Kimberley region. She brings together various contexts, personalities, and events that culminated in the case and trial. The killings that preceded the Forrest River massacre are also detailed (pp. 22–29). Auty's work is uncommon in targeting a specific individual, providing detailed backstories. She retrospectively charges O'Leary of crimes for which he was absolved. The book is illustrated with unique and well-sourced maps, photographs, and sketches that help the reader visualise events.'(Introduction)          

y separately published work icon Kate Auty in Conversation Nico Callaghan (interviewer), 2023 26203229 2023 single work podcast interview

'A recording of the launch for Kate Auty’s book, O’Leary Of The Underworld: The Untold Story of the Forest River Massacre. This book is a powerful investigation that reveals the deep injustices inflicted on Aboriginal people in the Kimberley in the 1920s.

'Please note, this episode contains discussion topics and readings from Auty’s work that some listeners may find distressing.' (Introduction)

Awards

2024 shortlisted The Danger Prize Nonfiction
Last amended 17 Jan 2024 09:13:05
Settings:
  • Forrest River, Kimberley area, North Western Australia, Western Australia,
  • 1926
Newspapers:
    Powered by Trove
    X