About the researcher

Mary Blight completed a Bachelor’s degree in Indigenous Knowledge, History and Heritage with a double major in French at the University of Western Australia in 2020.

She completed an Honours degree by research in French at the University of Western Australia in 2021. The theme of her thesis was ‘Wardandi Boodjar – through the story of Vasse’ and it won the Leon Tauman Memorial Prize in Honours French for 2021. In 2025 she completed an MPhil in Indigenous Research and Community Development at the Centre for Aboriginal Studies at Curtin University on the Wonnerup Massacre of 1841 and Wardandi Oral History about the massacre.

Her research interests are: the Baudin expedition during its time at Geographe Bay in 1801 and 1803, the Wonnerup massacre in 1841, Indigenous oral history of colonial violence, colonial massacres in the south-west of Western Australia, and the role and activities of Governors, Protectors of Aborigines, Resident Magistrates and other administrators in colonial violence from 1829 to late 1890s.

Her ORCID identifier is 0000-0002-8570-495X

You can contact her at: maryblight@gmail.com

I acknowledge that I am living and studying on Wadjuk boodjar. I also acknowledge Wadjuk elders past, present and future who are the traditional custodians of this boodjar. I acknowledge and respect their continuing culture and their continuous custodianship of Wadjuk boodjar for more than 45,000 years.

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This website contains material that is confronting and disturbing.

This website may contain copies of documents and newspaper articles written many years ago. These can often include offensive and derogatory terms which are unacceptable today.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples should be aware that this website may include references to, or images and names of, people now deceased.