Author Talk: Dr Jennifer Ashton. Charlotte Badger, George Bruce and the Making of History

As Jennifer explains, at first sight, Charlotte Badger and George Bruce share a similar history. Transported to New South Wales in the early years of penal settlement, they separately washed up at the Bay of Islands in 1806, both living under the protection of the same rangatira, Te Pahi. Yet, what we know about them and their experiences in Aotearoa New Zealand differs because of the records they did, and didn’t, leave behind. Jennifer discusses their contrasting histories, and how it reflects, not just the history of the early contact period in the north, but the way in which our understanding of the past itself is made.

Jennifer Ashton is an Auckland-based writer and editor. Her book ‘Thief, Convict, Pirate, Wife: The Many Histories of Charlotte Badger’ was published in 2022.

Light refreshments served on arrival. Koha appreciated.

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