Jandamarra by Mark Greenwood and Terry Denton

JUDGES' COMMENTS 

The remarkable 1890s story of Jandamarra is, at turns, inspiring, disturbing and enchanting. From a young age Jandamarra seems destined. Highly skilled in horsemanship and firearms he earns a privileged position as a tracker in the colonial police force. But at the same time his people, the Bunuba, are in conflict with the settlers and being arrested for breaking colonial laws. Torn by dual loyalties, Jandamarra chooses a violent course of action that leads to a period of guerilla warfare, during which he attains near-mythical status. Yet Jandamarra is ultimately doomed. A lesser-known story of Australian history, this warrants telling and telling well – and author Mark Greenwood and illustrator Terry Denton achieve this with impressive skill.

Jandamarra’s story is morally complex and, given its themes of oppression, dispossession, betrayal and war, it is steeped in tragedy. The approach of the author, therefore, to tell the story plainly and directly serves the story well. Likewise, the illustrations are perhaps Terry Denton’s finest work. Signature cheeky scribbles regularly bloom into epic and lyrical images, all of which bring a felicitously light touch to a dark subject. Finally, the poetic handling of the story’s climax beautifully demonstrates the power of omission. Jandamarra is a significant picture book for its contribution to the telling of Australian history and for the sheer heft of what it is able to capture in its pages.