The Eight Days with Ray Ingrey and Dr Paul Irish
Held on Monday, 2 May 2022
Hear Ray Ingrey, Chairperson of the Gujaga Foundation, and Dr Paul Irish, historian and archaeologist as they explore the eight days and the balance of history that comes from Dharawal perspectives of the Endeavour.
In the Evening 15 of them armd came towards our waterers; they sent two before the rest, our people did the same; they however did not wait for a meeting but gently retird. Our boat was about this time loaded so every body went off in her, and at the same time the Indians went away. Myself with the Captn etc. were in a sandy cove on the Northern side of the harbour, where we hauld the seine and caught many very fine fish, more than all hands could Eat.
Over a period of eight days HMB Endeavour anchored at Kamay collecting plants, shooting wildlife and replenishing stores of fresh food and water. While many accounts exist from those onboard, the knowledge about the ship from those who observed the movements of the officers and crew are less understood.
Ray Ingrey, Chairperson of the Gujaga Foundation, and Paul Irish, historian and archaeologist, will talk about the eight days and the balance of history that comes from Dharawal perspectives of the Endeavour.
About the speakers
Ray Ingrey
Ray Ingrey is a Dharawal person from the La Perouse Aboriginal community. Ray has a number of leadership roles within his community, including Chairman of the Gujaga Foundation.
Ray believes it’s important “our young ones grow up with a solid cultural foundation and become strong with who they are and where they belong” which will put them on the right path in achieving any goal they set in the future.
Dr Paul Irish
Paul Irish is a historian and archaeologist with Sydney firm Coast History & Heritage. For the past 15 years he has been piecing together the Aboriginal history of coastal Sydney with researchers from the La Perouse Aboriginal community.
This has included the 2015 NSW History Fellowship exhibition This Is Where They Travelled: Historical Aboriginal Lives in Sydney, his 2017 book Hidden in Plain View: The Aboriginal people of Coastal Sydney.
This lecture was part of the Eight Days in Kamay program provided through the Gujaga Foundation: a non-profit organisation leading Language, culture and research activities within the La Perouse Aboriginal Community.
With the La Perouse Local Aboriginal Land Council, Gujaga Foundation, The University of Sydney, National Museum of Australia and Cambridge University's Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, the Chau Chak Wing Museum was honoured to exhibit three spears taken from Kamay in 1770 alongside 37 contemporary spears documenting the continuing strength of culture of Sydney's First Peoples.
Header image: One of the Kamay spears. Image reproduced with permission of the University of Cambridge, Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology, D1914.2