What's in a Name

Bennelong is named after the aborigine Woolarawarre Bennelong whose story epitomises the qualities that we believe are important.

In 1789, when New South Wales was a convict colony, the young aborigine Bennelong was kidnapped by British soldiers from a beach on the north side of Sydney Harbour. Governor Phillip, the colony administrator wanted someone who could be taught English and thus act as a go-between the British and the aboriginal people.

It seemed an impossible task. How could a native black man who didn’t know a white man’s world even existed, whose primitive language had no grammatical structure and no written version, be taught to understand a sophisticated language such as English when his teachers had absolutely no knowledge of the language of their student. Where would one even begin?

Governor Phillip’s men tried, and succeeded. History records that Bennelong was a lucky choice. He was intelligent and quickly adapted to the ways of the white colonists.

To reward the young native’s learning capability, Phillip built the man a brick hut on the site where the Sydney Opera House stands today (‘Bennelong Point’).

In teaching Bennelong English, the colonists may have won his mind, but they failed to win his heart. At the first possible opportunity, Bennelong escaped to freedom and took a leading part in the spirited resistance against the white people who occupied his country. After fierce fighting and bloodshed on both sides, Bennelong led the Eroa people to make peace with the British.

Woollarawarre Bennelong was variously described in early correspondence as being:

“wiry and muscular”
“ready for a joke against himself”
“a warrior, skilled fisherman and hunter”
“clever” and “very intelligent” and “a clever mimic”

The Bennelong story gives us many lessons and is a perfect name for our group. It is proudly Australian. It is not afraid to explore and to face up to the unknown. It is adaptable. And it will fight for its rights.

Nothing is impossible until you try. And even then, if you try hard enough, nothing is impossible.

It also serves as a cautionary reminder: don’t let success go to your head.