Misunderstood and mis-remembered: what is the real story of Bennelong and the colonial Captain Phillip?

History has told the story of a failed Wangal mediator and enlightened English humanitarian, but a new book sheds new light on the complex relationship

Kate Fullagar, a celebrated historian is sitting in a cafe high above Sydney’s Circular Quay, where the green and gold ferries dock and depart amid that Whiteley-esque vista of azure harbour, totemic bridge and opera house.

On such a fine day the scene seems almost a cliche for its globally recognised picture postcard perfection. The way the urban architectural seamlessly meets the natural at harbour’s edge, it’s as if it were always like this.

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