Love, Loss and Yearning: Women and Romance in the Life of Lachlan Macquarie
Lachlan Macquarie, ca. 1805 / attributed to John Opie (Mitchell Library)
Join the Parramatta and District Historical Society for its September 2025 Meeting. Robin Walsh will present on the women in Lachlan Macquarie’s life.
The dynamics of the love life of Lachlan Macquarie is not a topic that has attracted much scholarly attention. Biographers have tended to focus on his actions and achievements as the Governor of New South Wales between 1810 and 1821: what he did, where he went, and what he achieved. However, such an approach simplifies his life before his arrival in New South Wales in December 1809 and applies an unrealistic gloss to his legacy.
This presentation will explore the key women in Lachlan Macquarie’s life between c. 1781 and 1824, in Canada, the West Indies, India, China, Britain, and Australia, and reveal the emotional landscape that helped to shape him.
About the speaker
Robin Walsh worked as a reference librarian in the Mitchell Library (1976–1978) and Macquarie University Library (1980–2011). He is the author of In Her Own Words: The writings of Elizabeth Macquarie (2011). He is currently a Visiting Fellow at the State Library of New South Wales with a research project entitled: The Making of the Man: the private life and letters of Lachlan Macquarie.
Event Details
When: Monday, 15 September 2025 at 7.30 pm.
Where: Burnside Gardens Community Centre, 3 Blackwood Place, Oatlands.
Admission: Free and will be followed by supper. Visitors Very Welcome.
Enquiries: Jeff Allen at jallen6@bigpond.net.au
0 Comments