A historic story about the shooting of an Aboriginal man at a waterhole near Uluru has won this year’s Chief Minister’s Northern Territory History Book Award.
Return to Uluru by Mark McKenna brings to life the 1934 tale of the gunning-down of Yokununna, by policeman Bill McKinnon.
McKinnon was tasked with tracking down those responsible for the killing of an Aboriginal stationhand, and this concluded with the death of Yokununna. When the level of mistreatment of those arrested for the crime filtered through to Government authorities, an investigation was launched which found the shooting was ‘not warranted’ but also ‘legally justified’.
The book highlights the Commonwealth’s inquiry into the case and the racial politics of the day in the Northern Territory.
Mark McKenna is an award-winning historian based at the University of Sydney. His publication From the Edge: Australia’s Lost Histories, won the NSW Premier’s History Award in 2017.
Return to Uluru has been previously longlisted for the 2021 Mark & Evette Moran Nib Literary Award and shortlisted for the 2022 Ernest Scott Prize.
Established in 2004, the Award recognises the most significant book about Northern Territory history published in the previous 12 months, and carries prize money of $1,000 from the Northern Territory Government.
A panel of independent judges from the history and research community judged the Award and determined Return to Uluru is a cutting-edge approach to historical analysis that is accessible to many people.
Judges highly commended Matt Garrick’s book Writing in the Sand, which details the epic journey of Yolngu/Balanda rock band Yothu Yindi, and the movement generated from their ground‑breaking song ‘Treaty’.
A total of twelve entries were received with five shortlisted as follows:
Frank Byrne, Living In Hope; the complete memoirs of Frank Byrne;Mark McKenna, Return to Uluru;Matt Garrick, Writing in the Sand;Catherine Bishop, Too Much Cabbage and Jesus Christ; andMaisie Austin, The History of the Northern Territory Stolen Generations.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Chansey Paech:
“The Territory Labor Government is proud to support these awards which shine a spotlight on the talented authors and historians who dedicate their time and research to preserve the Territory’s rich history.
“Thank you to everyone who entered and congratulations to this year’s Award winner, Mark McKenna, for his book Return to Uluru.
“The diverse collection of stories from this year’s entries will be read and shared by future generations across the world, ensuring the important stories of our past live on.”
