The Harry Gentle Resource Centre is pleased to announce the re-launch of the Harry Gentle Resource Centre (HGRC) website. The redeveloped site features news and updates, research resources, biographies, rare books and documents as well as some of the exciting projects undertaken by our Visiting Fellows.
Dr Ray Kerkhove’s ‘Mapping Frontier Conflict in South-East Queensland’ illustrates frontier conflict between the 1820s and 1850s. This project was developed from the research findings of Dr Kerkhove. It was built with a team of IT Masters students from Griffith University: Austin Odigie, Nkem Awujo, Hamed Bakhtiari and Saman Kayhanian. The aim of the project was to visually (digitally) present the resistance wars in south-eastern Queensland in an easily-digestible and informative manner, by combining maps, images and brief explanations. Dr Kerkhove seeks to better illustrate the typical lifestyle of settlers and Aboriginals caught in the resistance wars. He also seeks to develop historical maps that better reflect what was happening from an ‘Aboriginal resistance’ perspective. Another group of IT students is further refining the site during the present teaching period.
‘Policing a Colonial Metropolis: from Moreton Bay to Brisbane’ is an on-going project developed from the research findings of Dr Anastasia Dukova in conjunction with the Queensland Police Museum. The project explores aspects of early colonial town policing experiences. Simultaneously, by re-creating life and service stories of the early policemen, the project seeks to explore the key issues impacting these men’s service such as community integration and moral policing, property crime, violent crime and patrol duties, the treatment of indigenous communities, and sweeping administrative reforms in response to jurisdictional and administrative changes. By offering a manifold approach to narrating the history of policing in the early colonial metropolis, the project contributes much-needed nuance and complexity to our understanding of crime and policing in a fledgling colonial town and the experiences ‘on the job’ of very first men in blue.
Dr Jonathan Richards is currently creating a digital map based on pre-separation records of the Native Police held at Queensland State Archives. Using historical maps and documents – and GPS software – Dr Richards located the places identified in QSA records to build a picture of Native Police movements and activities in SE Qld. This project should be ready for publication on our web site early 2018.
From May through to July 2017, the HGRC joined with the Queensland State Archives to present a seminar series featuring our Visiting Fellows discussing their projects. Our two newly appointed Visiting Fellows plan to present another Seminar Series in conjunction with the Queensland State Archives in 2018.
The News page informs readers of new and existing web sites dedicated to the advancement of historical research and knowledge, as well as the recent activities undertaken by the Centre. This acts as an adjunct to the Resources page that provides links to sites to aid in the research of early Queensland history and family histories.
Our site features a user friendly template designed for the submission of biographies. The form guides users through the categories of information required. Once submitted, the biography is checked and edited if necessary before publication on the HGRC site. Our aim is to tell the stories of the lesser known inhabitants of pre-separation Queensland.
Population of the web site is a work in progress and we encourage contributions from genealogists and general historians. Please contact us to find out more.