Dogs in Van Diemen’s Land: The adorable, the mischievous and the downright nasty – Ian Broinowski
Dogs in Van Diemen’s Land: The adorable, the mischievous and the downright nasty
Dogs were ever-present in early colonial Tasmania. Initially they were instrumental in feeding the British, who would probably have starved had it not been for their dogs’ ability to forage and hunt. Dogs almost immediately befriended the palawa people and played a significant part in the 1820s war for lutruwita/Tasmania on both sides by guarding, attacking and often dying protecting their people. They ran alongside the paths of bushrangers who needed them for food and protection. In the emerging colony crime and murder were rife, and dogs played their part as defenders of lives and property – at times risking their lives. This tiny, isolated community’s love for their dogs is reflected in the many newspaper articles, drawings, stories and paintings presented in this beautifully illustrated book.
About the author
Ian Broinowski, PhD, MEd, BA (Soc Wk), BEc, Dip Teach, taught at TAFE and has a background in economics, social work and education. His subjects included aged care, disability services, children's services, community and youth work. Ian also taught with UTAS and Curtin University in education. He worked as a house parent in Bristol and Northern Ireland and in child welfare in Tasmania and NSW. Ian's publications include Child Care Social Policy and Economics, (1994) Creative Childcare Practice: Program design in early childhood, (2002) and Managing Children's Services (2004). In 2019, he published The Pakana Voice: Tales of a War Correspondent from Lutruwita (Tasmania) 1814-1856. In October 2022, he wrote Dogs in Van Diemen’s Land: the adorable, the mischievous and the downright nasty with Forty South Tasmania. His PhD with UniSA examined the relationship between enchantment, imagination and creativity, and the quality of the work of the early childhood educator. In 2013, he presented a paper at the Future of Education Conference in Florence, Italy on the ‘Use of Humour in Online Teaching’. He was on the UTAS Medical Ethics Committee from 2012 to 2022, and is on the Salamanca Arts Centre Board. Ian also enjoys woodcraft and bookbinding.