Media releases

The stories of Aboriginal heroes who helped shape Victoria’s history are being illuminated through a Federation University Australia research project.  

The project ‘Aboriginal Heroes of Fire, Flood and Food’ will use film and digital mapping to chronicle Aboriginal acts of heroism, specifically in relation to fire, flood and the search for food in the period between 1800 – 1930.  

Federation University historian, Associate Professor Fred Cahir is collaborating with Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities, historians and historical societies to create the first comprehensive map highlighting these acts of heroism. 

The project has uncovered many stories from across Australia about Aboriginal people saving non-Aboriginal communities during times of bushfire, floods and famines. 

This includes Aboriginal people reportedly saving the lives and homes of people in Rutherglen, in Victoria’s north-east, during the 1870s fires that devastated the region by warning them about the large bush fire engulfing the region so they could flee. 

In Gippsland’s Orbost district, an Aboriginal man was reported to have rescued a sick colonist during floods by making a canoe out of a sheet of bark, placing the sick man in it and swimming through the turbulent waters, towing the canoe and the man to safety.  

The project aims to bring together stories like these in an accessible format through the digital map as well as a documentary film and book. 

The final resource will be used by schools, cultural heritage tourism providers and the broader community. 

Award-winning documentary film-maker Wind and Sky and data technologists from Federation University’s Centre for eResearch and Digital Innovation (CeRDI) will collaborate on the project. 

The research is funded by Telematics Trust, which aims to transform lives through education and training for the cultural, social and economic benefit of Victorians. 

People can contribute to the research by contacting Dr Cahir: f.cahir@federation.edu.au. 

Quotes attributable to Federation University Associate Professor Fred Cahir  

“We hope this research will challenge the dominant narratives and understandings of Australian settler-colonial history, revealing shared history stories in a culturally sensitive way.”  

“The significant contribution of Aboriginal people to Victoria’s history isn’t well known within the broader Victorian community and we hope this project can help change that.”