Riding on the Sheep’s Back: A vegan’s history of the Australian wool industry (Part 2. 1806-1821)

 In the early 1800s, colonial Sydney transformed from a drunken shanty town ruled by military oligarchs to a developed city ruled by pastoral capitalists. Australia’s first wool baron, John MacArthur, continued to grow his wealth while maintaining a powerful position in the colony, despite his corruption and role in overthrowing Governor William Bligh in the 1808 Rum Rebellion.  Australian wool develops into a thriving export industry as Sydney urbanises. Meanwhile, the violence of colonial and pastoral expansion have devastating impacts on local First Nations communities. In today’s show, part of the wool series, Betty takes Nick and the listeners through the events of the early 1800s surrounding the first exports of Australian wool. Music has been removed from the podcast version of the show due to copyright. Please check out the music featured:  Bligh – Rum Rebellion   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogrMXK5mVvE&list=OLAK5uy_mDELdtaMlJCn_uNBGiUYW12X0yOYzMNVE&index=6  This Land is Mine – Kev Carmody, Paul Kelly and Kelton Pell  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKjwcQ8NzVM   Dyarrubin – Charlie Needs Braces   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7B-H_JFDgo  References and useful links:  Hedrick, M. C. (2024). The Australian Woolen Industry; British Investment in Colonial Australia: Unraveling the Threads of Economic Development 1788-1850.  The Mutiny on the Bounty:  https://beaconmedia.com.au/beaconmedia/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Mutiny-on-the-Bounty-1.pdf  The Rum Rebellion:  https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/rum-rebellion https://mhnsw.au/stories/convict-sydney/john-macarthur-ambitious-volatile-self-confident/ A history of Aboriginal Sydney: https://historyofaboriginalsydney.edu.au/south-west/1810s The Appin Massacre: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-12-15/state-heritage-listing-for-appin-massacre-site/101765746 Doin Time podcast about the Appin Massacre memorial: https://www.3cr.org.au/dointime/episode/appin-massacre-memorial Frontier War Stories Podcast: https://koorimail.com/series/frontier-war-stories/ 

A weekly show hosted by Melbourne-based animal advocates, presenting local and international interviews, presentations, and music from this vibrant social justice movement. The show is broadcast on 3CR Community Radio 855AM

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