New Flinders-Baudin study explores a different history
Three Adelaide scholars have provided conclusive evidence that there is still much to be learned about famed navigators Matthew Flinders and Nicolas Baudin. Encountering Terra Australis: The Australian Voyages of Nicolas Baudin and Matthew Flinders was co-written by Dr John West-Sooby (Head of the University's Centre for European Studies and General Linguistics), Dr Jean Fornasiero (Head of French Studies at Adelaide) and Dr Peter Monteath (Head of History at Flinders University). The book weaves a complex and fascinating tale steeped in the language and the imagery of a unique period of world exploration history. It addresses a part of history mostly overlooked.
History has not been as even-handed as Baudin and Flinders were in recognising the accomplishments of their respective expeditions. While Flinders found a favourable place among Australian explorers, Baudin's reputation has been tarnished by the false accusations made against him by his detractors. Dr West-Sooby said the idea for the book came about as the result of a tearoom conversation about five years ago in the then newly formed Centre for European Studies. "At the time, the Encounter 2002 celebrations, which would commemorate the famous meeting between Nicolas Baudin and Matthew Flinders in Encounter Bay, had just been mooted and various individuals and organisations were beginning to think about events that might be organised under that banner," Dr West-Sooby said. "Given our own interests - the French-Australian connections in the case of two of us at Adelaide, and the voyages of Matthew Flinders for Dr Monteath, who also happens to be a descendant of Philip Gidley King, the Governor of New South Wales at the time of the Baudin and Flinders voyages - we felt there might be an opportunity to put together a book following the 'parallel lives' principle. "Indeed, the stories of the two voyages reveal some remarkable coincidences and connections.
"There was more than just serendipity involved here, however: we were embarking on a mission to rehabilitate the name of Baudin and the reputation of his expedition." The book redresses the balance and deserves high praise for the painstaking work in providing a detailed examination of the full range of achievements on both sides.
The result shows that their respective voyages demonstrate what the two captains shared was ultimately greater than what divided them. This work has been more than favourably received, with excellent reviews in The Sydney Morning Herald, The Advertiser, The Adelaide Review and a feature article in The Weekend Australian. The good news continues for Drs Fornasiero and West-Sooby, who are part of a team of four, led by Professor Margaret Sankey of the University of Sydney, that has just been awarded an Australian Research Council Discovery Grant of more than $490,000 over five years to continue their work on the Baudin expedition. The aim of the project is to make archival resources from the expedition available to other researchers through a searchable database on the web. The team will also produce a major new multi-disciplinary study of Baudin's voyage, in the form of a monograph. Encountering Terra Australis: The Australian Voyages of Nicolas Baudin and Matthew Flinders by Jean Fornasiero, Peter Monteath and John West-Sooby is available from Wakefield Press, with a RRP of $49.95.</i> Story by Howard Salkow
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