Doctor Wooreddy's Prescription for Enduring the Ending of the World

Doctor Wooreddy's Prescription for Enduring the Ending of the World is an historical novel by Mudrooroo Nyoongah, first published in 1983.^[1] Though the protagonist Wooreddy is fictional, the novel deals largely with the real-life George Augustus Robinson, who was sent by Great Britain to Tasmania to act as a conciliator between British settlers and the Tasmanian Aborigines. It also deals with his relationship with "Trugernanna," based on the real-life Trugernanner, the last full-blooded Tasmanian Aborigine. Throughout the narrative the violence of colonisation is documented and explored: "a clear parallel is established between the rape of the Tasmanian Aboriginal women and the metaphorical rape of their land, sacred sites and heritage."^[2]

Characters

• Wooreddy (Woorrady) - The main character of the novel, who befriends "Fader" Robinson.
• Mr. Robinson (George Augustus Robinson) - Sent to Bruny Island to protect the Aborigines, later sent on an expedition to contact the natives on Tasmania and help bring them under British control. Known by the natives as "Meeter Ro-bin-un," "Fader," and "Ballawine."
• Trugernanna (Trugernanner) - The second wife of Wooreddy who he knows from the start of puberty.
• Mangana - Trugernanna's father, who helps educate Wooreddy. The last surviving man on Bruny Island, he recognizes the coming doom of his people.
• Wayler - A female leader of a band of Aborigine guerrillas.
• Ummarrah - An Aborigine from Tasmania who accompanies part of Robinson's expedition through his homeland. A prideful warrior, he was previously captured by the British and sneaks off the journey to return to his homeland, where he joins Wayler's raiding party.
• Governor George Arthur - Governor of Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania, Australia), a supporter of Robinson who aids his expedition.

References

• Mudrooroo Nyoongah, Doctor Wooreddy's Prescription for Enduring the Ending of the World ISBN 9780947062026