The Remarkable Mr and Mrs Johnson

Book excerpt: The British invasion and colonisation of Aboriginal Australia were brutal processes that caused immense suffering. But how should otherwise good people who contributed to such events be remembered? With this question in mind, The Remarkable Mr and Mrs Johnson, explores the lives of colonial New South Wales’ pioneer chaplain, the Reverend Richard Johnson, and his wife Mary. Drawing heavily on eighteenth and nineteenth-century sources, the book traces early influences that led the Johnsons to join the First Fleet, then describes their pioneering work in the colony, founding the first schools, building the first church, and pioneering British charity. Amid the suffering caused by the British invasion, the Johnsons also built a remarkable friendship with a young Aboriginal girl named Boorong, who became an influential intermediary during the early years of colonisation. Their lives have something to teach us about adaptation, survival, and humility.