Orange residents are invited to attend a public address by historian and author Dr Stephen Gapps on a significant and often overlooked chapter of local and regional history.

In the early 19th century, as European settlement expanded west of the Blue Mountains into the traditional lands of the Wiradjuri people, conflict emerged over access to land, waterways, and culturally significant places.

Dr Gapps, a Senior Associate at Artefact Heritage and Environment and an adjunct lecturer at Charles Sturt University, has written extensively on Aboriginal resistance across NSW and is the author of several acclaimed works on the subject, including ‘The Sydney Wars’, ‘Gudyarra’, and ‘Uprising’.

At the CWA Hall on Thursday, April 9, Dr Gapps will speak on the organised resistance mounted by Wiradjuri people as European settlement spread across central and western New South Wales.

The address will explore the different forms of resistance undertaken by Wiradjuri people, including organised defence, strategic adaptation, and the willingness of individuals and groups to risk and sacrifice their lives to defend their lands and traditional way of life.

The talk is being organised by local community group, Orange Together, which was formed in 2023 to promote respectful dialogue and greater understanding between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal residents of our community.

Orange Together’s Chair Trevor Hazell said that many Australians had received little formal education about the frontier conflicts.

“As the population of Orange has grown significantly over the past decade or so, it’s important that residents have opportunities to learn more about the area’s Aboriginal history. This region has a rich and enduring past, extending back tens of thousands of years as part of the extensive Wiradjuri Country,” Mr Hazell said.

He said that because the Wiradjuri, like many Aboriginal nations, were ultimately unable to halt the spread of settlement, it can sometimes be wrongly assumed that resistance was minimal or short-lived.

'Wiradjuri Resistance', an address by Dr Stephen Gapps, will take place at the CWA Hall in Robertson Park, 5.30-7pm on Thursday, April 8. The evening will include a question-and-answer session, followed by light refreshments and informal discussion.

Admission is free, but registration is encouraged as numbers will be limited. To register, visit: events.humanitix.com/gudyarra-the-first-wiradjuri-war-of-resistance

Dr Gapps will also be presenting a talk on his most recent publication, The Australian Wars (co-edited with renowned filmmaker Rachel Perkins, Wiradjuri scholar and educator Mia Murray and historian Henry Reynolds) at the Orange City Library at 10.30am on Friday, April 10.