Owain Glyndŵr Lecture, 2006

The Melbourne and Oceania Branch of Plaid Cymru held its annual Owain Glyndŵr Lecture on Sunday 17 September 2006. The lecture, entitled “Cultural Survival under Foreign Rule”, was presented by Isabel Ellender of Monash University. Isabel is a member of the Branch. In a wide-ranging account of the history of Wales and of Australia since European contact, Isabel drew parallels between the experience of the Welsh and the Aboriginal Nations of Australia. In both instances the occupying power, the British Monarchy, brought, in varying degrees, an attitude of superiority in their own civilization, culture and language over that of the subjugated nation.

While Wales was subjugated by force of arms in declared warfare, the English did not recognize Aboriginal sovereignty over land, and adopted the concept of “terra nullius” - ‘nobody's land’ - which was to justify their acquisition of the whole of Australia without any treaty. The Aboriginal people were seen as savages and in the early years were not expected to survive as a race by many officials. At best, they were to be treated compassionately until their demise. Governments and missions removed “half-caste” children from families and community supposedly for their own good. This, and the forced removal of Aboriginal people from their traditional lands, so that land could be used “productively”, accelerated the loss of language and culture.

A similar disregard for an ancient Celtic culture led to the denigration of the Welsh language by the English in the infamous “Blue Books”*, and the practice of punishing Welsh children for speaking their language in schools.

The destruction of language and culture has been devastating for the Australian Aboriginal people. Hundreds of languages and many lives have been lost, but nevertheless they and their languages, though reduced in number, are still here- they have survived against the odds. In Wales also language and culture continue to be valued as integral to being Welsh.

“Rydyn ni yma o hyd!” “We are still here!”

report by Meredith McLiesh, Branch President.

*”Report of the Commissioners of Enquiry into the State of Education in Wales” (1847), appointed by the Committee of the Council of Education, of the Westminster Parliament. None of the commissioners spoke Welsh but made a judgement on the educational standard of mainly monoglot Welsh speaking children.

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